REBECCA ENGLISH: New humiliation means Andrew could by no means seem in public with royals once more

Prince Andrew has pulled out of joining the Royal Family for Christmas at Sandringham after being publicly urged ‘to do the decent thing’.

After discussing the issue with his ex-wife, Sarah, Duchess of York, the beleaguered duke made up his mind yesterday to give the annual celebrations in Norfolk a miss.

There had been serious concern his presence would put the King, who is still undergoing cancer treatment, in an invidious position given the furore over his brother’s links with alleged Chinese spy, Yang Tengbo.

The Mail understands that the Yorks’ children, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, had already opted to spend the season with their respective in-laws, having not had the chance to do so for several years, which made the decision a little easier.

Last night it had not been officially confirmed whether Andrew would still attend a pre-Sandringham lunch thrown by the King at Buckingham Palace for up to 70 family members on Thursday. But there was a clear ‘working assumption’ at the Palace that he would also recuse himself from that.

The Mail revealed yesterday that Charles fervently hoped his brother might ‘see sense’ and stay away, rather than force his hand in the wake of his latest scandal.

It is understood that the King and Queen were quietly hoping that the Duchess of York might come to their rescue and ‘talk some sense’ into her ex-husband, as one of the few people to still have his ear. Friends say that she was indeed instrumental in his decision.

While many in royal circles believe the duke’s capitulation was, ultimately, the right decision in the circumstances, it also sets the seal on his public humiliation.

It has led insiders to question whether he will ever appear with the family again in public outside of, say, weddings or funerals.

Andrew has already been stripped of holding any public role or patronage over his links with disgraced paedophile Jeffrey Epstein and accusations – strongly denied – of sexual assault. In 2011 he was also forced to quit his role as an international trade ambassador over concerns about his links to controversial figures, riling of diplomats and lavish trips.

The one thing other than his home (and unusable HRH title) that remains as a vestige of his former life is Andrew’s membership of the historic Order of the Garter, founded by Edward III in 1348 and inspired by the legendary knights of the round table.

While it may sound an ancient and irrelevant frippery, it is still the country’s most historic order of chivalry, awarded by the sovereign in honour of exceptional and loyal service to the Crown or national life.

For the past few years Andrew, who has been a royal knight of the order since 2006, has been banned from taking part in its annual procession and service at Windsor Castle in June. However, he has insisted on wearing his robes and attending a private lunch for members at the castle beforehand.

And there is a growing swell of opinion given his repeated scandals that the duke should not only be barred from that too, but stripped of his membership as well.

Just 40 members have been removed from the order in almost 700 years – all for treason or heresy.

But sources have told the Mail that there are no plans ‘whatsoever’ to strip the Duke of York of his membership, not least because it is not deemed he has committed any transgression serious enough, certainly not on a level of treason.

The highly anticipated walk by the royals to church on Christmas Day, which is a private family event rather than an official engagement, is one of the few times he is now permitted to join them publicly. Easter is another.

‘I find it hard to imagine he will ever join them again in public, if I’m honest,’ one source told the Mail yesterday. ‘There’s only so many times the duke can be asked to keep his head down and wait for the storm to pass. Enough is enough.’

It is not clear what the duke and duchess will do over the festive season, especially given their children and grandchildren are elsewhere.

They could go away together, although some friends believe it is more likely they will remain at Royal Lodge with their dogs, including the late Queen’s corgis.

‘Sarah is tremendously loyal and I think it unlikely she will want to leave his side, especially now he is so down,’ a family friend added.

It can be revealed that the King and Queen had made clear privately that they would consider it a blessing if Sarah – known to them as ‘Fergie’ – were to persuade her ex-husband to ‘see sense’ and tactfully withdraw from all imminent family gatherings.

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 ‘very fond’ of her at heart. They admire her loyalty to both Andrew, and the monarchy, and have sympathy for her own recent cancer battles.

They believed she was one of the few people who could talk the Duke of York round into sensibly ‘recusing’ himself.

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, despite divorcing almost 20 years ago.

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.

It is clear Charles and his advisors are also rather hoping she might be able to persuade the duke to give up on his determination to keep on Royal Lodge.

They have no legal right to evict him from the 30-room, ten-bedroom mansion he holds a ‘cast iron’ lease on. But they are deeply concerned about how, now he is no longer a working royal and has been stripped by the King of both his security and annual allowance, he is able to afford it.

Charles has offered his brother Harry and Meghan’s old home, five-bedroom Frogmore Cottage, as an alternative – and made clear that both the costs of his security and annual stipend will be reinstated if he takes it up.

The King, a friend said yesterday, is ‘not unaware’ of his brother’s financial and reputational issues, and still wishes to provide him with ‘a more financially manageable situation’. 

So far the duke has consistently refused to downside, however, insisting that he has both the means to pay for Royal Lodge and that the money comes from ‘legitimate’ sources.

And Charles may be disappointed if he hopes the Duchess of York will step in on this front.

A friend of Sarah’s told the Mail last night that Royal Lodge was ‘a matter between the Duke and the King’.

‘She would absolutely not put herself in the middle of it in that way,’ they added.

While Fergie has saved Christmas, it seems the longer-term battle between the brothers has no end in sight.