Former royal butler has theory on Prince William's 'odd' behaviour at state dinner that left people seriously unimpressed

A former royal butler has issued an interesting theory on Prince William’s odd behaviour at a recent state banquet to welcome Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte.

For those not up to speed, the British royals welcomed the French president and his first lady to Windsor Castle on Tuesday for a three-day long visit.

And on their busy itinerary was a glamorous state banquet, which was the Princess of Wales’ first in two years.

While Kate stole the show in a stunning red evening gown and white tie attire, royal fans also couldn't take their eyes off William, for a very different reason.

King Charles III gave a toast at the soiree, in which he ‘reflected on one thousand years of 'shared history and culture between our two peoples'.

He told the room: “For centuries, our citizens have admired each other, amused each other, and imitated each other. We have exchanged ideas, fashions and music.

“When Monet painted London's fogs, when Jane Birkin, 'la plus francaise des britanniques', sang, or when Thierry Henry scored at Highbury, these were perfect combinations."

He even talked about his own ties to the country, including how the Castle was begun by his own ancestor back in 1070 - William, Duke of Normandy.

Charles continued: "So it is perhaps rather appropriate that my son, the Prince of Wales, who shares that earlier William's name, has made Windsor his home with his family, like so many of our predecessors.”

However, at the end of the speech, in which he was mentioned, an awkward moment saw William remain seated while all of the guests around him stood up to applaud.

The clip has of course, quickly gone viral and people on social media have certainly had their say.

X (formerly Twitter) users wrote: “you can see the moment he contemplates standing back up lmao” and “He was tired, lol”.

Over on Reddit, people also noticed the faux pas, quipping: “I’d really love to know what William was thinking here…” and “Everyone is standing clapping after Charles is done speaking it appears except…"

And now, a former royal butler of The King, Grant Harold, has weighed in on the matter with a theory of his own.

Speaking on behalf of Spin Genie, he said: “While it’s not known why William sat down early, it’s slightly odd behaviour, especially in such a public setting.

“At an event like a state banquet, I’m assuming it’s normal for people to stand and clap following a speech.”

He continued: “The fact the Princess of Wales and others stood up and clapped, there’s definitely something off about it. Maybe his thoughts were somewhere else or he was distracted.”

Harold explained how royals are expected to keep up a ‘poker face’ and always ‘put their best foot forward’ so it’s ‘not typical for William to act like this’.

He added: “The other members of the Royal Family stood, so it would have been the polite thing for him to do the same.

“The fact he stayed seated is slightly odd, but potentially he could have simply misjudged when other people were sitting down.”

Tyla has contacted a representative for Prince William for comment.