Prince Andrew has been spotted with his former wife following the news that he was not attending the royal Christmas at Sandringham.
The Duke, who is currently embroiled in controversy, left Windsor at approximately 2.45pm, just minutes before the King’s speech was aired across the UK. The 64-year-old is believed to have reportedly declined the annual festivities hosted by King Charles.
He departed from his residence at the Royal Lodge, which he still shares with his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson. This comes after recent revelations of the Duke of York’s involvement in a Chinese spy scandal.
He has been referred to as a “close confidant” of alleged Chinese spy Yang Tengbo. It is believed that the two maintained a friendship for over a decade, with him now banned from the UK due to national security concerns.
Two weeks ago, Andrew‘s office released a statement saying: “The Duke of York followed advice from HMG and ceased all contact with the individual after concerns were raised.
“The duke met the individual through official channels, with nothing of a sensitive nature ever discussed. He is unable to comment further on matters relating to national security.”
The alleged spy recently lost an appeal, bringing the scandal into public view. In their verdict, the judges highlighted the “]unusual degree of trust” the man had from a senior royal.
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They commented: “It is obvious that the pressures on the duke could make him vulnerable to the misuse of that sort of influence.”
The individual, known as H6, was prohibited from certain activities last year by then-Home Secretary Suella Braverman after officials voiced their concerns.
This week, experts have claimed that the Prince will no longer visit Sandringham to avoid causing any further shame to Charles. Biographer Andrew Lownie shared with The Sun, “I don’t think he’s going to go to Sandringham ever again.”
He went on to say that the other members of the Royal Family “need to distance themselves from him” to prevent additional humiliation. Lownie explained that the Prince had been effectively “forced” out of participating in the holiday festivities.
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