Kate Middleton shook John Whittingdale's hand after he picked his ear at the RWC

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John Whittingdale met the Duchess of Cambridge at the opening ceremony for the Rugby World Cup at Twickenham Stadium
MP cleared his left ear of wax before inspecting his hand for evidence
Moments later he shook hands with the Duchess

By Jonathan Petre for The Mail on Sunday

Published: 20:18 EST, 19 September 2015 | Updated: 02:15 EST, 20 September 2015

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She shakes thousands of hands during her Royal duties and, as a mother of two young children, is no doubt used to the occasional grubby finger.

But the Duchess of Cambridge may not have expected a hygiene faux pas of this magnitude when she met Culture Secretary John Whittingdale at the spectacular opening ceremony for the Rugby World Cup at London’s Twickenham Stadium.

Before their encounter, the Cabinet Minister, whose responsibilities include sport, appeared to use the little finger of his left hand to clear his left ear of wax.

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