Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie will not be attending the royal family’s Christmas celebrations this year.
Accordingly, the siblings took the rare decision to skip the annual holiday gathering hosted by King Charles III at his Sandringham estate multiple shops,
Instead, Beatrice, 36, and Eugenie, 34, will both spend Christmas with their respective in-laws.
Beatrice is married to Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi and is currently pregnant with their second child. Eugenie is married to Jack Brooksbank and has two sons.
According to People, Beatrice and Eugenie were invited to celebrate Christmas with their respective in-laws, including their father Prince Andrew, before news of the Chinese spying scandal broke.
It is only the second time in the past decade that Beatrice and Eugenie have not attended the royal family’s Christmas gathering. The second example occurred in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Andrew, 64, and his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson, 65, will also be absent from the upcoming festivities, and will instead stay at their shared home, Royal Lodge, per People.
The former couple were in Sandringham over Christmas last year. He was expected to attend the gathering again this year, but that changed due to the controversy over Andrew’s former employee, who has been accused of being a Chinese spy.
according to IndependentFerguson encourages Andrew to skip out on the Christmas party, and drops his invitation.
The outlet said Ferguson and Andrew’s decision was believed to be “made easier” by their daughters’ choice to spend Christmas with their in-laws.
Last week, a British High Court heard evidence that showed an alleged Chinese spy banned in Britain was a “close” confidant of Andrew.
Businessman Yang Tenbo, also known as Chris Yang, has been revealed to be the alleged Chinese operator after a judge lifted an anonymity order that had kept his identity secret.
Yang has denied the spying allegations made against him and said in a statement that he “has done nothing wrong or illegal and the concerns raised against me by the Home Office are unfounded.”
The Chinese national reportedly visited Britain regularly and frequently attended events at royal residences – one of them being Andrew’s 60th birthday party at the Royal Lodge.
Court documents reportedly revealed that Yang had an “unusual level of trust” with Andrew and was authorized to act on his behalf in business transactions with Chinese investors.
The prince’s office has rejected allegations of impropriety, insisting that “nothing of a sensitive nature” was discussed with the Chinese businessman and that their meetings took place “through official channels.”
Andrew has also said he has “ceased all contact” with the alleged spy, who is accused of trying to ingratiate himself with influential figures in the British establishment as part of an “elite capture” operation.
(TagstoTranslate)Entertainment(T)Celebrities(T)Christmas(T)Holidays(T)Prince Andrew(T)Princess Beatrice(T)Princess Eugenie(T)Royal Family
