Prince Andrew joined the rest of the Royal Family for church on Christmas Day morning, and was pictured walking the short distance from Sandringham to St Mary Magdelene’s church alongside other members of the Firm.
Many people were surprised to see the 63-year-old at the event, as he is no longer a working member of the Royal Family.
However, it was not out of the ordinary as the church service is actually a private family event and many non-working royals also attended. This included Mike and Zara Tindall and their children, Peter Phillips and Andrew’s children Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie.
What did come as a surprise was Andrew’s ex-wife Sarah Ferguson’s attendance at the church service – as she hasn’t joined the royals for the festive service for decades. It is thought the last time she was pictured walking to church with Queen Elizabeth was in the early 1990s
After the service, the members of the Royal Family headed back to Sandringham to tuck into a festive roast and enjoy the rest of the festivities. But what do you think, was King Charles right to invite his brother to the service? Vote in our poll below.
Andrew stepped down as a working member of the Royal Family in 2019 due to his association with convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein and allegations – which he has vehemently and repeatedly denied – that he had sex with Virginia Roberts Giuffre when she was 17.
The claims came to light in Florida court documents in April 2015. They stated Ms Giuffre was forced by Epstein to have sex with the royal when she was 17 – which is under the age of consent under Florida law.
In January 2022, Andrew’s military titles and royal patronages were returned to the Queen and he was stripped of his HRH status.
A month later he reached an out-of-court settlement with Ms Giuffre a month later, and made no admission of responsibility.
