Last week, much was made of Prince William traveling to Balmoral. King Charles went back to Scotland following the Trump state visit mid-month, and William’s aides were briefing the press about the king and his heir spending time together and discussing the big “problems” facing the monarchy. William has been loudly squealing about how Charles needs to completely cut off the Yorks and the Sussexes. Charles has mostly refused. Incidentally, while William wanted everyone to believe that he spent several days in one-on-one consultation with his father, Tom Sykes pointed out that Charles has been staying at Birkhall, and William has been eight miles away, “shooting grouse with friends.” William’s Scottish trip was less about future-planning and more about killing animals. Still, Charles made one concession to William: the Yorks are being told that they can no longer be visible at family events, nor are they welcome at Sandringham for Christmas.
The King has signalled that Prince Andrew and his ex-wife Sarah, Duchess of York, will not be welcome at the royal family’s Christmas celebrations this year. Sources close to Charles indicated he will keep the duke and duchess at arm’s length after it emerged that Sarah maintained ties with Jeffrey Epstein, the late convicted paedophile, despite publicly denouncing him in 2011. The King has also made clear that he would prefer the pair, who divorced in 1996, to be “invisible” at future gatherings.
A source close to Charles said: “You can’t sack someone from being your brother. But this year, if the duke and duchess were both to be as honourable [as last year], it would be very much for the best and the family would not be disappointed, not least to avoid the King having to make any more difficult decisions.”
Friends of the duchess said she was “devastated for any embarrassment” caused by the latest revelations and “will explain herself to the wider royal family in due course”.
The Yorks spent last Christmas together at Royal Lodge, the home they still share in Windsor. Their daughters, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, did not join them.
Friends of the King have also indicated that he would prefer the Yorks to keep completely out of sight when attending family occasions, by arriving and leaving through discreet entrances where possible. Eyebrows were raised this month when the couple made a public entrance alongside the rest of the royal family at the Duchess of Kent’s funeral at Westminster Cathedral, attended by the King.
A friend said: “The King is not of the mind to banish someone worshipping at church or attending family occasions like a funeral. But he would hope they would find a more discreet way of attending these events. In the Duke of York’s case, he seems to relish the prospect of not being low-key about it.”
After the service, Andrew, 65, was filmed attempting to make light-hearted conversation with the Prince of Wales, 43, who studiously ignored his uncle. Prince William considers his uncle a reputational “risk” and “threat” to the monarchy, and is understood to fully support his father’s firmer stance.
All of this because William didn’t like that his uncle spoke to him at a family funeral… in front of cameras. Anyway, this has needed to happen for a while, and I hate to admit it, but William has actually been right about the Yorks. They shouldn’t have been visible at all at family events OR state events in recent years. There was no reason for Andrew to be included in Charles’s coronation. There was no reason for Fergie and Andrew to walk with the family to church at Christmas in 2022 and 2023. There was no reason for Andrew to still be invited to the Order of the Garter lunch THIS YEAR. It’s actually smart for the palace to announce this stuff now, because Andrew’s name will continue to pop up in all of the Jeffrey Epstein investigations and Congressional hearings. Plus, Virginia Giuffre’s posthumous memoir is coming out in less than a month. Now Charles can point to this and say “see, I already banned him!”
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images.
