According to several reports published exclusively by The Times on Sunday and also echoed by The Guardian and London Evening Standard, King Charles III (76) has banned Prince Andrew of England (65) and his ex-wife from the Christmas celebrations at the Windsor's Sandringham House in Norfolk county.
Although it has not been revealed who caused the leak, what is known so far is that the monarch wants the Duke and Duchess of York to be "invisible" at future private family gatherings and, of course, he would prefer them to be more discreet at other public events such as religious services. Something that caught attention at the Duchess of Kent's funeral was that Prince Andrew managed to be the center of attention.
Charles III's decision is motivated by the email that Sarah Ferguson sent to pedophile Jeffrey Epstein in April 2011 where she described him as "a loyal, generous, and supreme friend to me and my family." Following this explosive information published by various British media, Sarah was removed from nearly a dozen non-profit organizations of which she was a figurehead or patron such as Children's Literacy Charity, Julia's House, or Natasha Allergy Research Foundation.
According to those sources, it seems that the king's opinion is that since "you can't fire someone from being your brother," at least, if "this year the Duke and Duchess were as honorable (as last year), it would be best and the family would not be disappointed, especially to avoid the king having to make more difficult decisions."
The reputational damage caused by Fergie to the Windsor's image has been tremendous, as it is closely linked to that of Prince Andrew, who has been under investigation for his friendship with Epstein for years. It was precisely one of the minors, Virginia Giuffre, who accused the prince of abusing her.
In February 2022, three years before the victim took her own life in Australia, Andrew's and the plaintiff's lawyers reached a multimillion-dollar out-of-court settlement. The money came from Queen Elizabeth II's pocket, who immediately stripped her son of his military titles and royal patronages. Since then, he has been the black sheep of the family followed by Prince Harry.
Since Fergie and Andrew divorced in 1996, they have continued to maintain such a close friendship that they have since shared the same roof at Royal Lodge, the 30-room property in Windsor, from which Charles III has been trying to evict his brother.
It remains to be seen whether Princesses Beatrice (37) and Eugenie (35) will reunite with their parents to celebrate the upcoming Christmas as in recent years they have preferred to spend them with their respective children and spouses.