Prince Andrew has been ruled out of the Royal Family's traditional Christmas Day walk to church by King Charles in his first festive season as monarch, reports The Mirror. The celebrations are due to take place at Sandringham.
This follows news that the Duke of York had been evicted from his Buckingham Palace office in recent days after revelations about his association with paedophile billionaire Jeffrey Epstein. Andrew will however be present at lunch with the King and Queen Consort, with Andrew's ex-wife Sarah Ferguson also set to join them.
The Prince and Princess of Wales will also attend with their children George, Charlotte and Louis, while the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, along with Archie and Lillibet will spend Christmas at home. Camilla's daughter Laura Lopes, her son-in-law Harry and grandchildren will also join the festivities at Sandringham, as will the Earl and Countess of Wessex and their children Louise and James.
Andrew stepped down from royal duties in 2019, and the Queen stripped him of his military affiliations and patronages in the wake of a sex scandal earlier this year. The Prince vehemently denied the allegations against him, before coming to an out of court settlement reportedly worth £12 million with accuser Virginia Giuffre, with the settlement not an admission of guilt as he continues to deny any wrongdoing.
His Majesty will make history this year with his first festive speech when he is expected to give an emotional message to his late mother Queen Elizabeth, becoming the first male monarch to address the nation on TV on Christmas Day, with a recent poll suggesting 38 per cent of the population would be tuning in.
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