Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s 'plea' to Prince William before title strip revealed by lip reader

Just days before losing his royal titles, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor made an emotional request of his nephew, Prince William, a lip reader has alleged.

The supposed interaction occurred back in September, when the pair attended the funeral of the Duchess of Kent together, along with several other senior Royal Family members.

The expert's assertion on their chit-chat will air in the upcoming episode of Lip-Reading the Royals, a new Channel 5 docu-series that sees experts deciphering some of the most subtle interactions had between members of the monarchy in recent years.

For now, only a preview of the episode has been released to the public.

The conversation between William and his uncle reportedly occurred whilst the two queued to enter Westminster Cathedral for the Duchess of Kent's funeral procession on 16 September.

Andrew supposedly asked William for 'forgiveness' (Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images)

At the time, father-of-two Andrew was still known as both a 'Prince' and the 'Duke of York'.

According to the lip reader (cited by Metro), however, ahead of the funeral service, the 66-year-old turned to the Prince of Wales before uttering softly in his ear: "I've learned from what I've done."

Andrew is also said to have asked his nephew: "But before I forget, I'd like to ask you if you can forgive?"

It is not confirmed that this is actually what he said.

Whilst William, 43, listens closely, he doesn't appear to respond to Andrew's comments.

By the end of November, the latter's title would be reduced in its entirety, and since then, he's been referred to as 'Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor'.

The decision was made by his brother, King Charles III, in light of damning new revelations regarding Andrew's association with late sex offender, Jeffrey Epstein, documented in the posthumously-released memoir of Virginia Giuffre.

Giuffre claimed she'd been abused by Andrew as a minor (Virginia Giuffre)

Giuffre, who sadly took her own life back in April, previously accused Andrew of sexually abusing her several times when she was a minor, after she'd first been trafficked by Epstein. She pursued a civil suit against the royal in 2021.

Despite denying her allegations, the former 'Prince' paid Giuffre an undisclosed amount the following year, after reaching an out-of-court settlement.

In her memoir, however, she detailed a series of intimate interactions she'd supposedly had with Andrew, prompting Charles to remove his dukedom on 30 October. The King also ordered his eviction from Royal Lodge, where he and his ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, have resided together since 2003.

Charles subsequently stripped his brother of his Princedom in early November, in turn removing Andrew's coat of arms from Windsor Castle.

Andrew was arrested by plain-clothed Thames Valley Police officers last month (19 Feb) at his new residence at Wood Farm in Norfolk, on suspicion of misconduct in public office.

Andrew was arrested last month (MEGA/GC Images)

His apprehension came amid allegations that the royal had shared confidential information with sex offender Jeffrey Epstein between 2001 and 2011, whilst serving as the UK's trade envoy.

Though searches at both Wood Farm and Royal Lodge have since concluded, the police investigation remains ongoing.

Andrew has strenuously denied any wrongdoing in relation to Epstein's heinous crimes.