Prince Andrew is “desperate to cling to power” despite a major step back from the public eye, according to a royal expert.
Sarah Ferguson is thought to have persuaded Andrew to miss the Christmas celebrations at Sandringham after it was revealed that the younger brother of King Charles has links to an alleged Chinese “spy”.
The claims follow the Duke and Duchess of York igniting a further Royal Family clash, as the former husband and wife were seen together just minutes before King Charles’s Christmas speech on Christmas day.
Royal Correspondent Katie Nicholl has criticised Andrew’s “very poor judgement” and claimed he would have been reluctant to miss the traditional occasion.
Sarah Ferguson is thought to have persuaded Andrew to miss the Christmas celebrations at Sandringham
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Nicholl said: “I hate to say this but along with very poor judgement on Andrew’s part is, he seems hellbent on clinging onto that power that he had as the Duke of York and as a royal player, whether that is representing the family overseas or simply being there at Christmas.
“After that disastrous Newsnight interview, he was allowed at Christmas but he attended church with the late Queen before everyone else to avoid being the centre of attention or creating headlines for the wrong reason.
“The fact that his ex-wife, who he lives with at Royal Lodge, which is also a bone of contention because Charles wants him out of Royal Lodge, will be spending it quietly together is the right thing to do.
“But it shouldn’t take Sarah having to flag it to him.”
The Duke and Duchess of York left their residency together at 2:45pm, missing the King’s speech
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She told Royal Beat: “There should be some element of him just recognising that in order to protect his brother the King, [and] the Royal Family’s reputation at the end of a very difficult year, the dignified and graceful thing for him to have done is for him to have made the choice to sit it out.
“But he never seems to do that and it comes with a cost to the reputation of the Royal Family unfortunately.”
Prince Andrew stepped back from royal duties and returned royal titles in 2019 due to significant public backlash after a controversial Newsnight interview in which he discussed his friendship with the late convicted paedophile Jeffery Epstein.
Earlier this month, the father of two faced additional scrutiny as he was described as a “close confidant” of Yang Tengbo, who was banned from the UK on national security grounds.
Prince Andrew withdrew from Christmas celebrations at Sandringham with the Royal Family
PA
The scandal resulted in his absence from royal celebrations at Sandringham alongside King Charles and Queen Camilla.
Instead, he spent the day with his former wife, Sarah Ferguson, leaving their residency of Royal Lodge approximately 15 minutes before the King’s annual Christmas Day speech was broadcast to the nation.
The Duke and Duchess of York left their residency, that they refused to downsize from despite being requested to by King Charles, together at 2.45pm.
Sarah Ferguson, who has maintained a friendship with Andrew for over a decade, has continued to support the duke publicly.
