What Christmas will look like after Prince Andrew and Fergie skip royal festivities
As King Charles leads the royal family on the traditional Christmas walk to St Mary Magdalene Church, one notable absence will draw attention: his embattled brother, the Duke of York.
It emerged earlier this week that Prince Andrew had developed a close friendship with an accused Chinese spy who has been banned from entering the UK.
It is the latest in a series of controversies that Andrew has faced in recent years, most notably his resignation after his links to pedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein came to light.
As the royal family deals with yet another PR crisis at the hands of the duke, his ex-wife Sarah, Duchess of York, convinced him to pull out of the family’s Christmas celebrations, saving the king the embarrassing task of officially disinviting him in anger.
Fergie returned to the royal family in December and took part in the annual Christmas parade with her family for the first time in 30 years – a significant moment following her high-profile divorce from Andrew in 1996.
In December, Fergie returned to the royal family and took part in the annual Christmas parade with her family for the first time in 30 years (Associated Press)
But this year instead of returning to the estate for the festivities, she and Andrew have been left out and are likely to stay at home at Royal Villas in Windsor – missing out on the high-profile walk to Mary Magdalene Church, dressed in Sandringham white clothes gift exchange room and boxing day shot.
It is understood that their daughters Princess Beatrice, 36, and Princess Eugenie, 34, have planned to spend Christmas with their respective in-laws, but royal insiders speculate those arrangements may change to ensure they Divorced parents don’t get through this day.
Royal biographer Ingrid Seward believes the York family may now join Beatrice and her husband Eduardo Mapelli Mozzi.
Andrew attended church with his brother Charles as part of the royal family at Christmas 2017 (Joe Giddens/PA) (PA Archive)
“Anyway, I think Fergie and Andrew will be with Beatrice, Edo and the kids, either at the royal villa or with the in-laws,” she told The Daily Telegraph.
“[Beatrice] Very close to her father and would want to support him and be with him at this time. There was no way I was going to see Fergie sitting alone in the royal cabin. She had a lot of friends and family and she wanted to be with them. Andrew probably wouldn’t mind. He would sit in front of the TV, but Sarah would organize something with Beatrice.
Meanwhile, Eugenie and her husband Jack Brooksbank, 38, live with their sons August, three, and Ernest, 18 months In the Ivy Cottage at Kensington Palace.
Although they had planned to spend Christmas with Jack’s widowed mother Nicola, she was only 50 miles away in Hampshire.
Although Sarah and Andrew separated in 1992, they remained close and lived together in a 30-room cottage on the Windsor estate.
The Yorks may now spend Christmas with Beatrice, her husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozz and his parents. (AFP via Getty Images)
Before the Andrews moved into Royal Villas, it was home to King George VI and the Queen Mother when they were the Duke and Duchess of York. Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret spent a lot of time at the Royal Villa, which was used by the family as a country retreat.
In 2003, the duke signed a 75-year lease on the mansion, which gave him the right to live in the royal villa for £250 a week, meaning Charles had no legal basis to evict him from the estate.
Speculation grew that Charles wanted him out after reports earlier this year that Andrew had turned down an offer to move from Royal Cottage to nearby Frogmore Cottage.
Their relationship is likely to be further strained after outrage this week, with the duke drawn into court proceedings surrounding alleged spy Yang Tengbo, whose appeal against being excluded from the UK was dismissed by a specialist tribunal last Thursday.
The duke has been embroiled in court proceedings surrounding alleged spy Yang Tengbo, whose appeal against deportation from the UK was dismissed by a specialist court last Thursday. (Sky News)
At a hearing in July, the court heard that an adviser to Prince Andrew claimed he could approach potential investors in China on behalf of the duke.
Young, who was reportedly invited to the Duke’s birthday party in 2020, has denied any wrongdoing, saying: “The widespread description of me as a ‘spy’ is completely untrue.”
A statement from the Duke’s office on Friday said: “The Duke of York followed advice from the UK Government and ceased all contact with this individual after raising concerns. The Duke met with the individual through official channels and no sensitive issues were ever discussed. He could not comment further on matters involving national security.
