Prince Harry is “irritated” after Prince Andrew was invited to spend Christmas with the Royal Family at Sandringham but he was not, according to a royal insider.
Before Christmas speculation was rife that the Duke and Dutchess of Sussex were aiming to make a royal return during the festive period with Harry said to have enjoyed a “warm” phone call with King Charles on his birthday in November.
But the pair did not attend royal Christmas celebrations in Sandringham, opting instead to stay in California. However, he is said to have found Andrew’s appearance on TV coverage of the family’s Christmas walkabout “irritating”.
Andrew, who has been embroiled in sex allegations after his long-standing friendship with Jeffrey Epstein and recently featured in court documents about the late paedophile, walked to St Mary Magdalene church with his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson.
According to American celebrity magazine In Touch Weekly, the appearance left a sour taste in Harry’s mouth.
A royal insider told In Touch Weekly that “people are seeing it as another slap in the face to the Sussexes, and Harry would have to agree” adding “they were the only family members who weren’t there [at the Christmas walkabout and celebrations]”.
They said: “Harry finds it irritating that Andrew and Fergie joined the family at church because she’s not even part of the royal family and hasn’t been for some time.”
The insider said Harry’s frustration with Andrew was due to his connections to Epstein.
In 2021, Scotland Yard announced it was taking no action after a review prompted by Virginia Giuffre, who had filed a separate US civil lawsuit against the Prince claiming he sexually assaulted her, which he vehemently denied.
This week the Duke was named in newly unsealed court papers listing Epstein’s associates.
Along with the prince, former US presidents Donald Trump and Bill Clinton were named in the list although neither is accused of any wrongdoing.
