The royal family’s traditional Christmas morning stroll from St Mary Magdalene Church on the Sandringham Estate has long been something of a barometer for the state of relations within the House of Windsor.
On that basis, Prince Andrew may have taken some comfort after being invited to join the annual meet and greet in north Norfolk for the last two years, despite his catastrophic fall from grace over his ties to disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein.
This year, however, may be a bit frostier for the Duke of York. Over the weekend, royal sources suggested the King was debating whether to ask his brother to stay away from the Christmas Day parade, amid the fall-out caused by the revelation of Andrew’s links to an alleged Chinese spy.
Royal experts suggested that the furore surrounding “H6”, the unnamed Chinese businessman whose ban from entering the UK on national security grounds was upheld last week, is toxic to the “royal brand” and the monarch should take the opportunity to freeze his brother out of Windsor public gatherings once and for all.
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Read MoreKing Charles is said to be “furious” at the latest controversy to engulf his 64-year-old brother arising from his business links.
Evidence presented to H6’s immigration tribunal heard that an aide to the duke had invited the Chinese national to act on his behalf in a search for Chinese investors.
Such was the strength of the relationship that H6 was invited to Andrew’s birthday party in 2020.
In a statement on Friday, Andrew said he had “ceased all contact” with the businessman after the security concerns were raised and that “nothing of a sensitive nature” had been discussed between the pair.
The Sunday Telegraph yesterday quoted a “well-placed source” close to the duke as saying the criticism of him was “a bit mystifying” and should instead be directed at Beijing if it had indeed targeted Andrew with one of its operatives.
A royal source said arrangements for the Sandringham Christmas morning appearance were “under discussion” amid a recognition that the latest row to engulf Andrew, who earlier this year had his security costs and annual “living allowance” severed by the King, was damaging to the wider Windsor clan.
At the same time, Buckingham Palace aides suggested that for all the frustration at Andrew within the upper echelons of the royal family, King Charles recognises his “bond of blood” to the duke and the fact that “you can’t sack your brother from being your brother”.Nonetheless, there is likely to be concern within the Palace that Andrew’s past business links – partly cultivated during his decade as a government trade envoy until 2011 -continue to generate controversy and questions about his judgment.
Royal observers said the latest row should be taken as an opportunity by King Charles to send a final signal that the Duke of York, who stepped down as a working royal in 2019, stands separate from the rest of the Windsor dynasty.
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Read MoreDr Ed Owens, a leading royal historian, said: “Andrew’s chequered past continues to haunt the royal family and damage ‘brand Windsor’. King Charles and his advisors will be worrying about whether Andrew has any other problematic relationships yet to come to light.
“I have long argued that Andrew should be completely frozen out by his royal relatives. But for whatever reason, the King and his courtiers seem unable to deny him certain public appearances – for instance, the Christmas Day saunter at Sandringham – and Andrew seems to relish these moments and the oxygen of publicity that comes with them.”
The latest strain between King Charles and Andrew follows a long tussle between the pair over the duke’s insistence on maintaining Royal Lodge, his 30-room house on the Windsor estate, as his primary residence despite the monarch’s desire for him to move out and downsize to the nearby Frogmore Cottage – the former home of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.
Andrew is widely to see[seen] to have won that argument after reportedly satisfying the King’s aides that he has legitimately obtained funds to pay his rent and maintain the large property.
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