Another scandal involving Prince Andrew was the last thing the Royal Family expected to be dealing with as they prepared to gather for Christmas.
But as one former member of palace staff put it to me, it now represents “a dichotomy for the King, in that there is only so much tolerance and forgiveness one can exercise even within a familial context”.
Nonetheless, it is still surprising that Prince Andrew and his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson have decided not to go to Sandringham.
Christmas is the one time of the year when we usually see Prince Andrew in public. We see with our own eyes that his family haven’t entirely forced him out into the cold.
Even in 2019 after that catastrophic interview about his links to Jeffrey Epstein, he was seen walking to church alongside Prince Charles – although not when the public was allowed in, and back then his mother was monarch.
This time it’s not entirely clear if he’s just decided to “do the honourable thing”, as one palace source put it, and realised he would be too much of a distraction if he walked to church with the family, or if they’re not going because their daughters are off to their in-laws for Christmas instead.
But there is still a big question over whether he will attend the annual Royal Family lunch at Buckingham Palace on Sunday. Palace insiders admit it’s a grey area.
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It’s a family occasion and he’s usually invited to those, but this one is happening inside the most symbolic building of the institution, seen as Monarchy HQ.
As it was put to me, “it’s not just how things are, it’s how they look”, and an image of the Duke of York driving through the gates could be seen as deliberately provocative. They are hoping he wouldn’t want to be that level of a distraction.
It’s hard to get a full picture of how much the King is engaged in all of this. Someone who knows the family well told me that our current monarch “doesn’t like confrontation”, just like Queen Elizabeth II.
They added there remains “a warm familial feeling between the two brothers”, but one “tempered by the King’s responsibilities as head of state to be entirely separate from the perceived, real or alleged, activities of the Duke of York”.
It means that when there are family events the duke is welcome. When his brother is at an event in his role as King, Andrew isn’t to be seen.
And what of Prince Andrew? I’m told “he is robust”, “he is self-contained and always has been”, there is a sense he’s never really needed the affirmation of his family.
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He and his team will also point to the fact that the duke cut ties with Yang Tengbo as soon as he was advised to and that other high-profile political figures also spent time in his company.
But it does again call into question his judgement. The palace no longer speaks for him, as a “non-working” royal, but interest in the duke’s past business dealings, his finances and how he used his title remain a problem for the Royal Family.
He may be out of sight on Christmas Day, but for those who want more transparency, he won’t be out of mind.
