Prince Andrew Won't Go to King Charles' Pre-Christmas Lunch amid Fallout Around Chinese 'Spy' Scandal
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():format(jpeg)/prince-andrew-121824-a2d36e0d83a3429795dc5e2c725b5b01.jpg)
12/18/2024 10:45 AM
PEOPLE understands that the Duke and Duchess of York won't join the royals for the holiday lunch Dec. 19
JUSTIN TALLIS/AFP via Getty
Prince Andrew arrives to attend the Easter Mattins Service at St. George's Chapel at Windsor Castle on March 31, 2024Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson have canceled plans to attend King Charles' traditional Christmas luncheon Dec. 19 amid backlash around the Duke's suspected connection to an alleged Chinese "spy."
PEOPLE understands that the Duke of York, 64, reached the decision after discussing the matter with his ex-wife, the Duchess of York, who convinced him that this was the right move. The same is true of Prince Andrew's decision to skip the royal family's Christmas gathering at Sandringham next week on Dec. 25.
Royal biographer Ingrid Seward tells PEOPLE that Prince Andrew will have also spoken it over with his daughters, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, who are both protective and loyal to him.
"Despite [the Duchess'] missteps in the past, she does know how things will play out socially. She would tell him it's best to stay away. And Beatrice would have backed her up in that," Seward says. Prince Andrew and Ferguson, who is popularly known as Fergie, divorced in 1996 after a decade of marriage, but are known to remain close today and continue to live together at Royal Lodge in Windsor.
Samir Hussein/WireImage
Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson at the Easter Service at Windsor Castle on March 31, 2024.The extended royal family convenes about a week before Christmas each year for a festive feast, and tomorrow's soiree will reportedly be held at Buckingham Palace in London. The Daily Mail said that about 70 family members are expected to come together, and royal officials didn't know until the last minute whether Prince Andrew would be there.
"It had been claimed Andrew was insisting on going to the lunch, telling friends 'he should be there,' and that as it's a family occasion, 'why shouldn't he go?' " the outlet reported on Dec. 18. "And even as of last night, royal officials were still in the dark over his plans."
Prince Andrew is under new scrutiny for his alleged links to Yang Tengbo, a Chinese businessman who made headlines last week when a British court upheld an existing decision to ban him from the U.K. around security concerns, the BBC reported. The 50-year-old businessman was said to have earned "an unusual degree of trust" from Andrew, even attending his 60th birthday party in 2020 and into the royal estate at Windsor, The Timessaid. The outlet said that Yang was allegedly authorized to act on the Duke's behalf as a "business adviser" and that Andrew promised him access to the royal family "in an apparently serious breach of national security."
Buckingham Palace had no comment, and Yang denied any wrongdoing in a statement shared by the BBC. The Chinese national had initially been codenamed H6 in court documents, with his anonymity lifted on Dec. 16.
Chris Jackson/Getty
Prince Andrew at the Easter Service at Windsor Castle on March 31, 2024.In a statement sent to PA last week, Prince Andrew's office said that the royal ended his relationship with Yang after receiving government advice, stressing that their interactions were through "official channels with nothing of a sensitive nature ever discussed."
The Times reported that the businessman had been appointed as a "business adviser" by Prince Andrew and was promised access to the highest levels of the royal family "in an apparently serious breach of national security."
King Charles' younger brother is not a working member of the royal family, following a slew of scandals that began with an ill-fated Newsnight interview in November 2019 around his alleged friendship with the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, who died in prison that August while awaiting federal sex trafficking charges. The Duke of York has denied any wrongdoing, and took a subsequent step back from royal duties a few days after the interview aired.
His transition away from an official royal role was made official when his mother Queen Elizabethstripped him of his military titles and patronages in January 2022 amid Virginia Roberts Giuffre's civil sexual assault lawsuit. An out-of-court settlement for an undisclosed sum was reached the following month, and Andrew has been mostly outside of the spotlight, albeit from major family events, ever since.
Andrew Matthews - WPA Pool/Getty
Prince Andrew, Sarah Ferguson and other members of the royal family at the Thanksgiving Service for King Constantine of Greece at Windsor Castle on Feb. 27, 2024.Can't get enough of PEOPLE's Royals coverage? Sign up for our free Royals newsletter to get the latest updates on Kate Middleton, Meghan Markle and more!
PEOPLE learned earlier this week that Prince Andrew and Fergie, 65, would no longer go to the royal family's Christmas celebration at Sandringham amid fallout around the "spy" scandal. The move meant that their daughters, Princess Beatrice, 36, and Princess Eugenie, 34, will no longer go with their young families, either.
PEOPLE understands the princesses had outstanding invitations to spend the holiday with their respective in-laws and have decided to do so. Their attendance at Sandringham had been in question, an insider says, but it will be rare for the royal sisters not to be there as they're known to go with their husbands in tow.
Dave Benett/Getty
Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie at a private party at Royal Albert Hall on April 11, 2024 in London.Andrew's decision to skip Sandringham — and now the Christmas lunch — also alleviates potential pressure on his brother the King, 76, about the problematic concept of public appearances at this time.
Step inside the royals' holiday traditions with PEOPLE's Special Edition: Christmas at the Palace: A Royal Family Album.
