A royal expert believes Prince Andrew is ‘hellbent on clinging onto power’ after it emerged it was his ex-wife who reportedly convinced him to miss the Royal Family’s Christmas celebrations
Andrew, 64, is said to have spent Christmas alone at Royal Lodge with ex-wife Sarah Ferguson instead of joining the rest of his family at Sandringham House.
It meant Andrew and Sarah, 65, were not involved in the traditional walk from Sandringham to St Mary Magdalene Church on Christmas morning.
Their eldest daughter, Princess Beatrice and her husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi did attend the service with senior royals after their travel plans had to change due to medical advice during Beatrice’s pregnancy.
Andrew and Sarah missed the celebrations after the King’s younger brother has been plagued by negative headlines this year. That includes his ties to an alleged Chinese “spy” and his on-going row over his future in Royal Lodge.
The King reportedly wants Andrew to downsize to Frogmore Cottage, but the duke signed a 75-year lease on Royal Lodge in 2003. As part of the lease, Andrew is responsible for funding the maintenance of the property but concerns have been raised over his ability to fund the repairs.
Vanity Fair Royal Correspondant Katie Nicholl has now criticised Andrew’s “very poor judgement”, suggesting his presence at the Christmas walk would have turned the spotlight away from the senior royals.
Speaking on Royal Beat, Nicholl said: “I hate to say this but along with very poor judgement on Andrew’s part is, he seems hellbent on clinging onto that power that he had as the Duke of York and as a royal player, whether that is representing the family overseas or simply being there at Christmas.
“After that disastrous Newsnight interview, he was allowed at Christmas but he attended church with the late Queen before everyone else to avoid being the centre of attention or creating headlines for the wrong reason.
“The fact that his ex-wife, who he lives with at Royal Lodge, which is also a bone of contention because Charles wants him out of Royal Lodge, will be spending it quietly together is the right thing to do. But it shouldn’t take Sarah having to flag it to him.
“There should be some element of him just recognising that in order to protect his brother the King, [and] the Royal Family’s reputation at the end of a very difficult year, the dignified and graceful thing for him to have done is for him to have made the choice to sit it out. But he never seems to do that and it comes with a cost to the reputation of the Royal Family unfortunately.”
Andrew stepped down as a senior working royal and handed back his HRH titles following a disastrous Newsnight interview in 2019. It came after concerns were raised about his alleged friendship with disgraced financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
The King’s younger brother was named in court documents earlier this month after a Chinese businessman alleged to be a spy was banned from the UK. Andrew says he has since “ceased contact” with the individual, who says he has done “nothing wrong or unlawful”.
