London, UK: Prince Andrew will not join the Royal family’s traditional Christmas celebrations at Sandringham this year following controversy over his connections to alleged Chinese spy Yang Tengbo.
The gathering at King Charles’s private Norfolk estate is expected to host 45 members of the Royal family on Christmas Day.
The allegations surfaced during a high court hearing last week, where Yang Tengbo, previously protected by an anonymity order, was named after a judge lifted the ban.
Yang, who has been barred from the UK, was described as a “close” confidant of Prince Andrew, attending various events, including the duke’s birthday party at his residence.
Court documents revealed that Yang was so trusted by Andrew that he was authorized to act on his behalf in an International financial initiative with partners and investors in China.
In response, Andrew’s office stated that he had met Yang through “official channels,” with “nothing of a sensitive nature ever discussed,” and confirmed that all contact with Yang had ceased.
Yang denied any involvement in espionage, saying he had “done nothing wrong or unlawful and the concerns raised by the Home Office against me are ill-founded.”
In a show of solidarity, Sarah, Duchess of York, Andrew’s former wife, will also skip the Christmas gathering at Sandringham. The pair are expected to spend Christmas Day together at Royal Lodge, their shared home in Windsor Great Park.
It remains unclear whether Andrew will attend King Charles’s pre-Christmas lunch for the extended royal family at Buckingham Palace later this week.
Meanwhile, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, Andrew’s daughters, had already planned to spend Christmas with their in-laws for the first time this year, as sources confirmed.
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