King Charles’s traditional pre-Christmas lunch faces being overshadowed by Prince Andrew’s latest withdrawal. The Duke of York was counselled to skip the gathering at Buckingham Palace due to ongoing controversy surrounding his connection to an alleged Chinese spy. This move comes after he already withdrew from Christmas celebrations at Sandringham.
According to sources, Andrew’s ex-wife and friend Sarah, Duchess of York, urged him to avoid official festivities, including giving up her chance to return to Sandringham for Christmas again. The Duchess had only rejoined the annual royal Christmas walk last year since her divorce from Andrew in 1996.
Prince Andrew’s connection with Yang Tengbo, an alleged Chinese spy, was revealed in a High Court hearing this week. Mr Yang has denied any wrongdoing and insisted it was “entirely untrue” to claim he was involved in espionage.
The businessman, who was the founder-partner of Prince Andrew’s Pitch@Palace initiative, had previously visited Buckingham Palace twice and entered other royal residences on Andrew’s invitation. The duke’s office claimed they ceased all contact with Mr Yang when concerns were raised about him.
Prince Andrew has largely disappeared from public life since stepping down from official duties in 2019 following the furore over his friendship with convicted US sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. His status as a member of the royal family remains under scrutiny, and it is unclear if he will be allowed to return to public events soon.
Source: https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/royal-family/news/prince-andrew-sarah-ferguson-king-charles-christmas-lunch-b2667084.html