Prince Andrew will not attend King Charles’ annual pre-Christmas lunch at Buckingham Palace on Thursday, according to reports. The event, typically a private gathering for around 70 members of the royal family, will see attendees arriving at the palace in their cars for the festive occasion.
The Duke of York, 64, was recently confirmed to be skipping the traditional royal Christmas celebrations at Sandringham as well, following ongoing controversy over his ties to alleged Chinese spy Yang Tengbo. Yang, a former associate of Andrew through the Duke’s Pitch@Palace initiative, was banned from the UK and accused of espionage, although he denies any wrongdoing.
Yang, also known as Christopher Yang, reportedly met Andrew on several occasions, including visits to Buckingham Palace, St. James’s Palace, and Windsor Castle. Last week, it was revealed in a High Court hearing that the businessman was considered a “close confidant” of Andrew. The Duke’s office has since stated that Andrew “ceased all contact” with Yang when concerns were first raised, insisting their interactions were strictly professional with “nothing of a sensitive nature ever discussed.”
This is not the first time Andrew has been embroiled in scandal. The Duke stepped back from public duties in 2019 following his disastrous BBC Newsnight interview addressing his connections to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. In 2022, Andrew paid millions to settle a civil sexual assault case brought by Virginia Giuffre, while continuing to deny the allegations.
Despite no longer carrying out official royal duties, Andrew has joined the royal family for several public events this year, including King Charles’ coronation and the Easter Sunday service. However, he and his ex-wife, Sarah, Duchess of York, are expected to spend Christmas at Royal Lodge in Windsor, while their daughters, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, celebrate with their respective in-laws for the first time.
The King’s decision to exclude Andrew from key royal gatherings underscores the growing distance between the Duke and the rest of the family amid ongoing scrutiny of his past actions and associations.
