Prince Andrew is believed to be so fed up by his fall from grace that he has ‘refused to walk the late Queen’s corgis’.
The Duke of York was gifted two of her late Majesty’s dogs on her death, yet the 64-year-old won’t walk any of them because he is so ‘demoralised’ by life.
Instead he is said to ask the footmen to take the dogs around the grounds at Windsor castle, along with his five other dogs he shares with ex-wife Sarah Ferguson.
The beleaguered Duke of York agreed not to embarrass the King further and has voluntarily decided, along with the Duchess of York, to give the annual celebrations in Norfolk a miss.
A source told the Sun: ‘He’s so down and demoralised he hasn’t even been able to get himself motivated to take the dogs for a walk.
‘He used to do it regularly but recently he can’t even bring himself to go out.’
Prince Andrew is believed to be so fed up by his fall from grace that he has ‘refused to walk the late Queen’s corgis’
The Duke of York was gifted two of her late Majesty’s dogs on her death, yet the 64-year-old won’t walk any of them because he is so ‘demoralised’
MailOnline 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.
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.
The monarch – who owned more than 30 corgis and dorgis throughout her life – was often joined by Fergie on walks around the grounds of Windsor Castle towards the end of her reign.
Meanwhile, Andrew faced further embarrassment when it emerged that he and Prince Harry are known as the ‘Dukes of Hazard’ by Palace courtiers.
It comes after an avalanche of negative publicity surrounding the pair.
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
The monarch – who owned more than 30 corgis and dorgis throughout her life – was often joined by Fergie on walks around the grounds of Windsor Castle towards the end of her reign
Alleged Chinese spy Yang Tengbo, who forged links with Andrew and mixed with other British establishment figures, insisted he has ‘done nothing wrong or unlawful’
Alleged Chinese spy Yang Tengbo, who forged links with Andrew and mixed with other British establishment figures, insisted he has ‘done nothing wrong or unlawful’.
Mr Yang said it was ‘entirely untrue’ to claim he was involved in espionage and said he was a victim of a ‘political climate’ which had seen a rise in tensions between the UK and China.
Businessman Mr Yang became a ‘close’ confidant of the Duke and has also been pictured with senior politicians including Lord David Cameron and Baroness Theresa May.
The Royal Household is investigating claims Andrew invited him into Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle and St James’s Palace.
In a statement after a High Court judge lifted an order granting him anonymity he said: ‘Due to the high level of speculation and misreporting in the media and elsewhere, I have asked my legal team to disclose my identity.
‘I have done nothing wrong or unlawful and the concerns raised by the Home Office against me are ill-founded. The widespread description of me as a ‘spy’ is entirely untrue.’
Mr Yang last week lost an appeal over a decision to bar him from entering the UK on national security grounds. He was known in the legal case only as H6 until the anonymity order was lifted today.