Earlier this week, we reported that Prince Andrew had found himself embroiled in a Chinese spy scandal. In the midst of this, Andrew skipped a major royal holiday event that was hosted by his older brother King Charles on Thursday.
Andrew Skips Royal Pre-Christmas Lunch
People Magazine has confirmed that Andrew, 64, did not attend the royal family’s traditional pre-Christmas lunch at Buckingham Palace on Thursday. Instead, Andrew sent his daughters Princess Beatrice, 36, and Princess Eugenie, 34, in his place.
Other royals who attended the lunch include Charles, 76, as well as Queen Camilla, Princess Anne and her husband Vice Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence, Prince Edward and Sophie, the Duchess of Edinburgh, Prince and Princess Michael of Kent, Prince Edward, the Duke of Kent. Anne and Edward are Charles and Andrew’s other two siblings. The four of them are the children of the late Queen Elizabeth and her husband Prince Philip.
Andrew reportedly decided not to attend the lunch after taking the advice of his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson. Despite divorcing in 1996, “Fergie” and Andrew still live together.
“Despite [the Duchess’] missteps in the past, she does know how things will play out socially,” royal biographer Ingrid Seward told People. “She would tell him it’s best to stay away. And Beatrice would have backed her up in that.”
Andrew’s Chinese Spy Scandal
This came after Andrew found himself in hot water due to his alleged ties with Yang Tengbo, a Chinese businessman and suspected spy. It was previously reported that Charles is “furious” over Andrew’s connections to Yang, who is banned from entering the U.K. due to the spy allegations.
Yang, 50, was allegedly a “close confidant” of Andrew’s who developed an “unusual degree of trust” with the royal. He became so close to Andrew that he visited Buckingham Palace twice. He also entered St. James’s Palace and Windsor Castle. On top of that, the alleged spy was given permission to act on Andrew’s behalf to seek investors in China.
The British authorities believe that Yang was a member of the Chinese Communist Party. They allege that he secretly worked for the CCP’s United Front Work Department.
Police stopped Yang at the British border back in 2021. After searching him, they found that he had a briefing document in his possession. This document stated that Andrew seemed to be in a “desperate situation and will grab onto anything.”
Yang told Sky News on Monday that the “widespread description of me as a ‘spy’ is entirely untrue.” Despite this, Andrew has claimed to the BBC that he’s “ceased all contact” with Yang. Andrew also alleged that he met the man “through official channels” and that there was “nothing of a sensitive nature ever discussed.”
Full Story: King Charles Enraged As Prince Andrew’s ‘Chinese Spy’ Scandal Risks Disgrace For Entire Royal Family
Andrew’s Infamous Epstein Ties
This is far from the first scandal that Andrew has been embroiled in. In 2019, Andrew was forced to step down as a senior royal due to backlash over his alleged ties to the late billionaire pedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
“I stayed with him, and that’s [something] I kick myself for on a daily basis, because it was not something that was becoming of a member of the royal family, and we try and uphold the highest standards and practices, and I let the side down, simple as that,” Andrew said at the time.
This latest Chinese spy scandal has certainly done nothing to help Andrew’s reputation. In the end, perhaps it’s for the best that Andrew skipped today’s royal pre-Christmas lunch.
More About:Celebrity News
Read This Next
