Prince Andrew is not going to be becoming a member of the Royal Family at Sandringham this Christmas amid Chinese ‘spy’ controversy
Prince Andrew has pulled out of joining the Royal Family for Christmas at Sandringham, it can be revealed.
The beleaguered Duke of York has agreed not to embarrass the King further and has voluntarily decided, along with his wife, Sarah, Duchess of York, to give the annual celebrations in Norfolk a miss.
It is believed the couple are likely to remain at Royal Lodge.
The Mail understands that their children, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, had already made the decision to spend Christmas with their respective in-laws, having not had the chance to do so for several years.
The Daily Mail revealed today that His Majesty didn’t want to ban his brother from attending but hoped he might ‘do the decent thing’ and decide to stay away in light of the growing spy scandal.
It is understood that The King and Queen were hoping none other than the Duchess of York might come to their rescue and save the family’s festivities this Christmas – and it appears that she has.
Prince Andrew is photographed driving in his Range Rover today from Royal Lodge in Windsor
Prince Andrew and Sarah, Duchess of York attend a thanksgiving service for the life of King Constantine of the Hellenes at St George’s Chapel in Windsor Castle on February 27, 2024
Their Majesties had made clear privately that it would be a ‘blessing’ if Sarah – known to them still as ‘Fergie’ – were to persuade her ex-husband to ‘see sense’ and tactfully withdraw from public gatherings over the next week as the storm around his dealings with an alleged Chinese spy still rages.
While the duchess has found herself at the centre of several royal scandals over the years, Charles and Camilla – like Queen Elizabeth before them – are quite ‘fond’ of her at heart.
They rather admire her loyalty to both Andrew, despite his repeated public travails, as well as the monarchy more generally.
And they believe she was possibly the one person who could talk the Duke of York round into ‘recusing’ himself from the family’s very public walk to church at Sandringham on Christmas Day – and possibly into downsizing himself from Royal Lodge.
Remarkably the couple still live together at the grand Windsor mansion Andrew has on a long-term lease from the Crown Estate that is at the centre of much of his most recent controversy.
In an interview at the weekend Sarah likened herself to being a ‘carer for a sad man’ and also spoke of her love for the king and his kindness towards her.
