Christmas at Sandringham House takes a lot of planning, especially given how many royals gather for the festivities. The King hosts most of the family there but it’s already been suggested that there are two royals who we likely won’t see this December.
As reported by The Sunday Times, His Majesty has reportedly "signalled" that Prince Andrew, Duke of York and Sarah, Duchess of York, would not be welcome to join him for Christmas. A source close to the King claimed to the publication that Andrew and Sarah choosing not to go would save the King from making "more difficult decisions".
"You can’t sack someone from being your brother. But this year, if the Duke and Duchess were both to be as honourable [as last year, when they didn’t attend], it would be very much for the best and the family would not be disappointed, not least to avoid the King having to make any more difficult decisions," they alleged.
These reports come in the wake of the latest scandal to embroil the Yorks - the publication of a 2011 email from the Duchess to convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein. Sarah’s spokesperson told The Telegraph that it was sent in the "context of advice" after Epstein allegedly threatened to sue her over comments made about him.
Multiple charities have cut ties with Prince Andrew’s former wife since the email became public and only a few months earlier a shocking joint biography of the Yorks was released, which once again put them front and centre of negative headlines.
A friend of the King claimed to The Sunday Times that whilst the monarch is "not of the mind to banish someone" from worshipping at church or attending family occasions "he would hope they would find a more discreet way of attending these events". Instead, the source adds that in Andrew’s case "he seems to relish the prospect of not being low-key about it".
Prince Andrew and Sarah were very prominent at the Duchess of Kent’s funeral in September and King Charles supposedly wishes they’d be "invisible" going forwards. All of this would make their absence from Christmas at Sandringham make sense.
However, if they don’t go to Norfolk, what could this mean for their daughters, Princess Beatrice and Eugenie? Last year Beatrice celebrated with the royals and Eugenie with her in-laws whilst Andrew and Fergie spent Christmas in Windsor and kept a low profile amid news about the Duke’s association with an alleged Chinese spy.
It’s possible that after everything, Andrew and Sarah won’t be attending a royal Christmas for a very long time to come. In that case, it’s surely unthinkable that Beatrice and Eugenie will always spend the festivities separately from their parents but their decision this year a few months after the email scandal will be all-important.
Whether they stay away from Sandringham and celebrate with their parents instead or do the opposite, it could be seen as sending a message, intentionally or not. Royal author Phil Dampier has claimed to the Daily Mail that Beatrice and Eugenie are in a "very difficult" position if Sarah and Andrew either choose not to go, or aren’t invited.
"They may feel it would be unfair of them to go when their parents aren’t there and it simply rubs salt in their wounds," he said. 'The King has a soft spot for both Beatrice and Eugenie and feels sorry for the situation they are in. So it’s a real dilemma for him and one he could do without."
