When it comes to royal optics, every member of the family has spent their entire lives with a filter over their public activities.
With every outing, it’s being considered: “How will this look?”
Never before was that more apparent than just last year, before the latest deluge of scandalous details rained down on an already-disgraced Andrew, as he stood shoulder-to-shoulder with his nephew.
It would be difficult to find two royal figures further spaced out on the spectrum of popularity.
Prince William, the heir to the throne, and his uncle, years into his disgrace over the Jeffrey Epstein scandal and just six weeks away from being stripped of his royal titles and property, emerging from the Duchess of Kent’s funeral in London.
It may have been pre-arrest and pre-exile, but the former Duke of York’s brand was already irreversibly toxic, and footage of the brief, awkward encounter quickly went viral, with social media pointing out just how deeply uncomfortable William looked as a jovial Andrew clearly tried to strike up a conversation.
One did not need to be a body-language expert to know exactly how the Prince of Wales felt about the exchange.
Flash forward to just this past weekend, where the landscape of the entire York family has dramatically changed.
Andrew, under investigation by authorities, living as a non-royal citizen and housed remotely by his brother, though he has denied all allegations made against him. His ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, self-exiled in an Austrian chalet after having her close friendship with the convicted pedophile Epstein exposed earlier this year (of course, she has not been accused of any criminality).
Their two daughters, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie have also largely been keeping out of the spotlight amid their parents’ disgrace – though only due to the scandal surrounding their family name, rather than suggestions of poor behaviour on their part.
Headlines have swirled for months about whether or not they were to be included in royal events as the summer season got underway – had they been banned from Royal Ascot, as many said, or did they decide themselves to stay away for the good of the monarchy’s PR?
They’d already missed the traditional royal Easter activities and events marking the late Queen’s centenary, believed to have been borne from a mutual understanding with the more senior figures in the family.
Would they ever return to the royal fold publicly, not just at private events?
They say a picture speaks a thousand words.
As Prince William greeted his cousin, Princess Beatrice, ahead of their cousin Peter Phillips’ wedding outside a church in Kemble, in England’s Cotswolds region, the future king’s stance was made clear.
He could have avoided the public interaction if he wished, or avoided her entirely – but instead, was seen in front of the cameras warmly planting a kiss on her cheek.
A small, subtle and significant gesture – firmly putting to bed reports that the York sisters are out of favour with the rest of the royals.
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.news.com.au ’
