Prince William's plans to 'freeze Andrew out' when he becomes King

At the funeral of the Duchess of Kent this week, a seriously tense moment was captured on camera between thePrince of Wales and his disgraced uncle, Prince Andrew, the Duke of York.

Andrew was filmed chatting to his nephew, only to receive a decidedly cold shoulder in response, with Prince William saying nothing in response to him, and looking pretty tense.

When Andrew appeared at the funeral, gasps of shock were heard in the crowd at his presence, and even his ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, is said to have barely acknowledged him in front of the crowds, despite the fact that she has been his fiercest defender since he was cast out of public life, and the former couple still live together at Royal Lodge, Windsor.

READ MORE: Kate Middleton's brother shows true feelings on Donald Trump visit with four words

READ MORE: Doctor shares 'reason' for King Charles' 'sausage fingers' as he bids farewell to Trump

A Mirror journalist in attendance at the funeral said it seemed like Williamwas "barely tolerating" Andrew, trying to quickly end the interaction, and that the disgraced Duke of York appeared to be giggling at the sombre occasion.

Royal expert, author Andrew Lownie, has claimed that pals of the future King said he "was 'furious' at being ambushed in this way," by his uncle, who he works hard to stay away from in public.

"He has been at pains to distance himself from his uncle and not be photographed with him. He believes his father has not dealt with him with sufficient firmness and that Andrew – and Sarah Ferguson – have done much to undermine the good work of other members of the Royal Family," Lownie wrote.

The author has also claimed in his recent book about the Duke and Duchess of York - Entitled - that William's dislike for his uncle is rooted in the fact that Andrew has previously been rude to Princess Kate.

It's been widely reported that William plans to banish his uncle from royal engagements when the time comes for him to take the throne.

Royal expert Hilary Fordwich told Fox News earlier this year, "Prince William has long had a strained and distant relationship with Andrew."

"Andrew’s future within the royal family is beyond bleak, since Prince William is firmly opposed to any public rehabilitation with no foreseeable path back,” the expert continued. “He wants Andrew to vanish from public view.”

Jennie Bond, formerly the BBC's royal correspondent, has echoed these sentiments, claiming William takes a pretty dim view of the damning allegations surrounding Andrew and his friendship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

"William has been a strong voice in managing ‘the Andrew problem’ - he is adamant that there is no way back for his uncle," Bond has said to Closer magazine.