Lonely this Christmas for Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor as he drives out of Royal Lodge after being barred from attending Sandringham church service
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor cut a lonely figure when he was spotted leaving Royal Lodge alone as his family celebrated Christmas at Sandringham.
The disgraced former Duke of York looked dejected as he left the gates of the royal residence, which is expected to become vacant in the coming weeks.
He and Sarah Ferguson were not invited to Sandringham due to the ongoing scandal surrounding their friendship with billionaire pedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
But despite their public fall from grace, daughters Princess Beatrice and Eugenie joined the Royal Family for the annual Christmas festivities at Sandringham this morning amid speculation about whether the York siblings will accept King Charles’ invitation.
Eugenie, 35, was all smiles as she followed King Charles, 77, and Queen Camilla, 78, into St Mary Magdalene Church this morning.
Meanwhile, Princess Beatrice was accompanied by her husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, while King Charles appeared to send the message that they were “not guilty by association”.
Eugenie was accompanied by husband Jack Brooksbank, Princess Anne and Vice-Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence, and appeared to be supported by the Firm in what has been a challenging year for the family.
It comes after Beatrice and Eugenie attended King Charles’ pre-Christmas lunch at Buckingham Palace this month.
Experts said their involvement showed they were ‘isolated’ by the King from their disgraced father, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor.
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor was spotted leaving Royal Lodge alone while the rest of his family celebrated Christmas at Sandringham.
The disgraced former Duke of York looked dejected as he left the gates of the royal residence, which is expected to become vacant in the coming weeks
Andrew and Sarah Ferguson were not invited to Sandringham amid the ongoing scandal around their friendship with billionaire pedophile Jeffrey Epstein
The former Duke of York spends his last Christmas at the royal residence
Charlie Proctor, editor of the Royal Central website, wrote: ‘For several years, Beatrice and Eugenie have been living in a kind of constitutional limbo: not working royals, but not exactly ordinary citizens either; Loyal daughters, but daughters of a man whose name has become shorthand for disrepute.
‘So in every public scene there was an unspoken question: were they being inadvertently punished for Andrew’s public argument, or were they being carefully insulated from it? This week’s answer was obvious. They need to be insulated.
‘The King’s Christmas dinner is no ordinary family dinner, but a specially prepared guest list that signals those who remain within royal acceptability.’
He added that Andrew’s exclusion was “now complete and clear”, but his daughters’ inclusion “sends the opposite signal: whatever their private feelings, the monarchy will not allow guilt by association”.
Meanwhile, royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams, former editor of The International Who’s Who, told the Daily Mail: ‘All royal events are carefully choreographed, and at King Charles’ annual pre-Christmas lunch back at Buckingham Palace, photographs of smiling Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie dominated press coverage.
‘It echoes in Alan Bennett’s play The Madnesses of King George when Queen Charlotte tells the King, “Smile. That’s what they want. Smile.”
‘The photo contrasts their father Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor riding in the pouring rain; A portrait of humiliation both literal and symbolic.’
Princess Beatrice was accompanied by her husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi as King Charles appeared to send the message that he and his sister Eugenie were not “guilty by association”
Eugenie, 35, was all smiles as she followed King Charles, 77, and Queen Camilla, 78, into St Mary Magdalene Church this morning.
King Charles and Queen Camilla led the Royal Family for a church service at St Mary Magdalene on the Norfolk estate this morning.
Princess Eugenie (behind Princess Anne) makes a surprise appearance with her sister Princess Beatrice (not pictured)
Eugenie and Beatrice’s appearance comes after they were both absent from Kate’s carol concert at Westminster Abbey on December 5.
Royal sources claimed at the time that the sisters were impressed by an invitation sent to them, but both were unable to attend due to previous commitments.
Mr Fitzwilliams said: ‘They made commitments but it was clear they did not want to distract from the event.’
It was the second year that Andrew and his ex-wife did not attend. Last year, they pulled out of the celebrations just 10 days before Christmas after Andrew’s links to alleged Chinese spy Yang Tengbo were revealed.
