Andrew faces ‘yet another embarrassment’ as he is forced to ‘step out of the…
Royal correspondent Cameron Walker has described Prince Andrew’s absence from the Sandringham Christmas celebrations as “just another embarrassment” for the Duke.
Speaking on GB News, Walker explained that the scandal surrounding Prince Andrew and an alleged Chinese spy would have overshadowed the Royal Family’s festive appearances
Walker noted that it had already been “a very tough year for the Royal Family with various health battles” and that Christmas should have been a time for reflection and celebration.
This comes as it has been reported today that the Duke of York and his ex-wife will not join the Royal family for Christmas celebrations at Sandringham this year amid an ongoing scandal over the Duke’s links to an alleged Chinese spy.
Speaking on GB News, royal correspondent Cameron Walker explained: “Last year and the year before, he did actually attend the Christmas Sandringham walk to the church.
“This year, we’ve had it confirmed that he is not going to go alongside his ex-wife Sarah, Duchess of York.
“The problem is when there’s a scandal involving a member of the Royal Family, and in particular Prince Andrew, it does have a bit of a knock on effect to other members of the Royal Family.
“This morning, when all the front pages were dominated by Andrew and this alleged spy scandal, it completely overshadowed all the work that the other working royals were doing, such as nice Christmassy things.
“Of course, it’s been a very tough year for the Royal Family with various health battles, and Christmas would have been a time that the walk to church would have been a time for reflection and also just celebrating the fact that they could all be together.
“So we understand that Sarah and Prince Andrew will be staying in Windsor at Royal Lodge.”
He added: “From a Royal Family perspective, they’re going to be hoping there’s going to be no more distractions for them in the run up to this Christmas period.
“But of course, it’s just another embarrassment for Prince Andrew having to step out of the spotlight, something he clearly loved, being a working royal, because of perhaps his poor judgment.
Last year marked a significant moment when Sarah Ferguson attended a Christmas Day church service with the Royal Family for the first time in decades.
This year, the couple will instead spend Christmas at Royal Lodge in Windsor.
Royal insiders had urged Prince Andrew to “do the decent thing” and maintain a low profile over the Christmas period to avoid causing further embarrassment to the King, according to reports.
Sources suggested he should also stay away from the family’s annual private lunch later this week.
The King had hoped the duke would do the “gentlemanly” thing to avoid having to force his hand.
Discussions about where the Andrew and his ex-wife would spend Christmas had been ongoing for some time.
It is not yet known whether the King’s brother will attend Charles’s traditional pre-Christmas lunch for the extended family on Thursday, which is expected to be held at Buckingham Palace.
