The heir to the throne and his chosen one have already gone on their Christmas holidays. Kate and William have not appeared in public for some time. Today, King Charles III is hosting the traditional pre-Christmas lunch at his country residence. Numerous members of the royal family will gather at Sandringham Palace. However, Kate Middleton and Prince William will not be among them. Palace insiders have revealed that the couple declined the invitation.
As is tradition, the heir to the throne and his wife are spending the holidays at their estate, Anmer Hall, in Norfolk with their children—11-year-old Prince George, 9-year-old Princess Charlotte, and 6-year-old Prince Louis. It is not far from Sandringham. Kate, who recently completed a course of chemotherapy and recovered from cancer, continues to avoid large crowds and intense attention. However, the Prince and Princess of Wales are expected to join the royal family members at the Christmas church service.
Kate Middleton and Prince William are not the only ones absent from this year’s lunch. Prince Andrew also declined the event, but not by choice. The Duke of Edinburgh has only just begun to rebuild his reputation after the scandal involving his connection to the convicted pedophile billionaire Jeffrey Epstein. He avoided criminal prosecution by paying compensation to Epstein’s American associate Virginia Roberts-Giuffre. However, his attempt to return to the ranks of working royal family members, whose lives are funded by British taxpayers, was unsuccessful. He has become embroiled in a new scandal due to his long-standing ties with a 50-year-old Chinese businessman, Yan Tengbo.
The former chairman of the Hampton Group lived in the UK for two decades, frequently socializing with former prime ministers David Cameron and Theresa May, as well as members of the royal family. The businessman is now suspected of espionage on behalf of his native country, marking a new blow for the disgraced prince.
“Andrew was persuaded to decline the invitation to the family gathering. He is under pressure. Honestly, it’s hard to imagine that he will ever publicly rejoin the royal family again. The Duke can only be asked to lower his head and wait for the storm to pass so many times. Enough is enough,” said an insider.
This year, Prince Andrew’s ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, also “declined” the invitation. However, the Duke of York’s daughters, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, along with their husbands, plan to join the family at Sandringham.
