Prince Andrew Skips Royal Events Amid Alleged Chinese 'Elite Capture' Ties, Raising Concerns Over National Security Breach
Duke of York to Spend Holiday in Windsor Instead
Royal sources confirmed to BBC that Prince Andrew will not be joining the Royal Family for their traditional Christmas gathering at Sandringham.
According to BBC, it is believed that Prince Andrew, the Duke of York, will be making an "honourable withdrawal" from the holiday events to avoid becoming a distraction and opting to stay home at Windsor on Christmas Day.
It follows a recent High Court ruling and the naming of an alleged Chinese spy that is associated with Andrew.
Chris Yang, whose real name is Yang Tengbo, had previously been barred from the UK. Yang, in a statement Monday, denied doing anything wrong or illegal.
While Andrew is no longer a working royal, he usually would have attended one of the family gatherings.
However, as BBC noted, aides to the royals are worried that Andrew will overshadow the public celebrations due to the ongoing furor over his links to Yang.
The Christmas morning church service at Sandringham normally draws big crowds and press coverage.
However, it was reported that Andrew was told in private to keep a low profile this year, which was intended to ensure he would not steal the show at the family gathering.
Previously, Andrew would attend family events despite stepping back from royal duties, so that is a change.
The royal Christmas dinner had been expected to serve up to 45 guests, The Prince of Wales recently announced, although that number may drop to 43 without Andrew.
Andrew's ex-wife, Sarah, is expected to spend Christmas with him at Royal Lodge in Windsor.
Their daughters, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, are apparently going to be with their in-laws for the holiday.
Yang Tengbo was previously known only as "H6" in legal documents after an anonymity order but was identified in court as having an "unusual degree of trust" with Prince Andrew.
He went to the prince's birthday bash in 2020 and was invited to act on Andrew's behalf regarding potential investments in China.
He was sent back to France after a ban on Yang coming to the UK was upheld by the UK's national security court, amid suspicions that Yang was part of an "elite capture" operation being orchestrated by the Chinese state to exert influence over Western countries.
Prince Andrew, meanwhile, insisted he cut all ties with Yang and that all interactions were official, with no topics of security ever being raised.
