4 hours Ago By Hanisha Sethi
Prince Andrew is hoping to attend a pre-Christmas celebration at Buckingham Palace on Thursday, where wider Royal Family members will gather for a glamorous and festive lunch, hosted by His Majesty, King Charles . King Charles and Queen Camilla will gather the family together after what has been dubbed as a difficult year for the broader family with the King and Princess Kate's health battles . The Duke of York has already pulled out of attending Sandringham for Christmas celebrations, according to reports, following recent controversy over Andrew's links to an alleged Chinese spy.
It comes as Yang Tengbo, a 50-year-old businessman, was barred from the UK in 2023 because authorities felt he was likely to pose a threat to national security. According to court documents, Yang was so close to the duke that he was authorised to act on his behalf and to represent the royal in international business deals. However, Andrew insisted he "ceased all contact" after concerns were raised.
Prince Andrew 's official statement read: "The Duke of York followed advice from HMG (His Majesty's Government) 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.
" If you can't see the poll above, vote here . Meanwhile, Mr Yang insisted he has done "nothing wrong" and rejected allegations of being a spy as "entirely untrue". In a statement, Yang said: "The widespread description of me as a spy is entirely untrue.
I am an independent self-made entrepreneur and have always aimed to foster partnerships and build bridges between East and West." Andrew has been scrutinised since he resigned as a working royal and gave up his HRH titles in 2019 after his disastrous Newsnight interview with presenter Emily Maitlis. The prince's popularity plummeted following the BBC interview where he discussed his association with the late convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
On Christmas day, the Daily Mail reports the scandal-hit Prince will remain at Royal Lodge in Windsor with his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson, whilst his daughters Princesses Beatrice and Princess Eugenie spend the day with their in-laws. The traditional Christmas walk in Norfolk is a very public part of the royals’ festivities, attracting crowds of well-wishers and despite Andrew being included since Charles acceded to the throne in 2022, he will not be attending this year. It comes as the Firm faces pressure on the optics of the long-standing tradition of the Christmas walk from Sandringham House to St Mary Magdalene Church in Norfolk.
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