Fresh revelations about how the Royal Family will spend Christmas have emerged, amid the ongoing scandal surrounding the former Prince Andrew and his ties to Jeffrey Epstein
If there is one thing that’s certain, the cloud over the Royal Family isn’t going away anytime soon. Andrew Mountbatten Windsor may have been stripped of his titles and is set to move out of his home of Royal Lodge, but the questions surrounding his ties to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein are not going away.
The US Congress recently requested Andrew provide testimony about his friendship with the late paedophile as part of the House Oversight Committee’s investigation into the disgraced financier.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer even chimed in, saying he thinks Andrew should agree to act as a witness. However, after the two-week deadline set by the Committee for Andrew to get in touch passed, the King’s brother has maintained radio silence.
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Andrew is understood to be moving to the King’s privately owned estate in Norfolk, Sandringham. The vast 20,000-acre property, which contains around 150 buildings that Andrew might soon be calling home, is the annual setting for the Royal Family’s Christmas celebrations, but the disgraced former duke won’t be there during the festive period.
However, Andrew and his ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, aren’t the only ones who won’t be spending Christmas inside the royal fold, it has emerged. In a major update about the House of Windsor’s Christmas plans, Queen Camilla’s son, Tom Parker Bowles, revealed he will be giving it a miss this year too.
When asked by the Daily Mail if he would be spending time at Sandringham over Christmas Day, he said, “I’m not. Nor is my sister. It’ll be every other year, one year on, one year off.” Tom, 50, and his younger sister Laura Lopes, 47, are Camilla’s children from her first marriage to Andrew Parker Bowles, and it seems they will be spending the festive season with other family members this year.
It will be the second year in a row that Andrew and Fergie won’t be in attendance, after the former duke’s ties to an alleged Chinese spy, Yang Tengbo, caused controversy last year. Yang Tengbo has denied allegations that he is a spy, but Andrew was reportedly dubbed a “national security risk” by security services.
Andrew was reported to be moving to the Sandringham Estate in the New Year, however, recently it has been said he could stay in Royal Lodge until October 2026. It has been alleged that some delays have come into place after the King’s brother has been negotiating hard to ensure his new home meets his specifications. This is reported to include a full roster of staff, including a driver, a cook, and security – as well as demanding at least “six of seven bedrooms”.
It comes as Sarah and Andrew are reportedly set to attend an important royal event this week, which could see them have an awkward reunion with the likes of Charles, Prince William and Princess Kate. It is claimed that they will come out of exile on Friday to attend the christening for their granddaughter.
Princess Beatrice, 37, and husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, 42, are said to be bringing close family and friends to the Chapel Royal at St James’s Palace for the christening of their daughter, Athena. A source told the publication: “It’s going to be a royal occasion but everyone is dreading the thought of seeing Andrew there.”
The source claimed that relations between Beatrice and her father are currently somewhat strained. “Beatrice has, of course, invited her father. But things are not warm between them. However, she’s worried about him. He’s going through a low ebb with his mental health and she recognises that he dotes on his grandchildren and it would be cruel to deprive him of the chance to attend the christening.” The source added: “Some careful conversations and diplomacy with King Charles will have taken place to get to this stage.”
