Why Prince Andrew Is Missing from the Royal Family’s Christmas Walk This Year

Prince Andrew didn’t join the royal family’s traditional Christmas celebrations at Sandringham amid another scandal.

On Dec. 25, the Duke of York, 64, and his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson skipped the royal family’s traditional Christmas gathering amid backlash around the Duke of York’s connection to an alleged Chinese “spy.” Their younger daughter Princess Eugenie also didn’t join the public-facing walk to church on Christmas, though their elder daughter Princess Beatrice did.

It was a last-minute change in plans for Beatrice, 36, who is pregnant with her second child and a decision made as her due date approaches. The princess stepped out with her husband, Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi and stepson Christopher Woolf, 8, for the festive walk to church at St. Mary Magdalene on the Sandringham estate, where they joined King Charles, Queen Camilla, Prince William, Kate Middleton and other members of the royal family. 

PEOPLE understands that Princess Beatrice had plans to spend the holiday with her in-laws in Italy, but doctors advised against travel at this point of her pregnancy.

In addition to skipping the Christmas gathering at the Norfolk estate and the traditional family walk to church at St. Mary Magdalene on the estate’s grounds the morning of Dec. 25, Andrew also didn’t go to his brother King Charles’ pre-Christmas lunch at Buckingham Palace on Dec. 19 amid uproar around the alleged spy scandal.

Earlier this month, Andrew found himself at the center of further controversy following his disastrous 2019 BBC Newsnight interview surrounding his sexual assault allegations and association with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, which resulted in his step back as a working royal. The latest scandal involves the Duke of York’s close business links with a Chinese national alleged to be a spy, according to multiple reports.

The alleged spy, Yang Tengbo, was reportedly appointed as a “business adviser” to Prince Andrew and was promised access to the highest levels of the royal family “in an apparently serious breach of national security,” according to The Times. The outlet added that British security services found the man was a member of the Chinese Communist Party and was working for its United Front Work Department, which gathers intelligence.

The BBC reported that the man received an invite to Prince Andrew’s 60th birthday party in 2020 — just months after his Newsnight fiasco — and was told he could act on his behalf to seek investors in China. The Times reported that the alleged spy was also invited to the royal estate at Windsor.

Amid the fallout, it emerged on Dec. 16 that the Duke and Duchess of York (who divorced in 1996 but continue to live at Royal Lodge in Windsor) would no longer attend the royal family Christmas at Sandringham. Last year, the ex-couple stayed at Wood Farm on the Sandringham estate, and were expected to do so again this year.

Prince Andrew and Ferguson, 65, are expected instead spend a quiet Christmas at Royal Lodge, and it’s thought that Princess Eugenie, 34, is marking the holiday with her in-laws. Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie are typically fixtures at Sandringham each year alongside their husbands, and Beatrice and Edo brought Christopher Woolf (who is affectionately nicknamed Wolfie) to the royal Christmas walk for the first time in 2022.

Royal biographer Ingrid Seward tells PEOPLE that Andrew will have spoken about the decision to forgo royal Christmas with his ex-wife and daughters.

“Despite [Ferguson’s] missteps in the past, she does know how things will play out socially. She would tell him it’s best to stay away,” Seward tells PEOPLE. “And Beatrice would have backed her up in that.”

The Daily Beast also previously reported that King Charles’ patience is “wearing thin” with his younger brother, saying that “He has stood by Andrew for many years, but everyone has their limits.”

Another source told The Mail on Sunday, “The palace has behaved the best it possibly can with a difficult relation. Every sanction that can be imposed has been, but you can’t divorce or sack your brother from being your brother. There will always be a bond of blood, and all families often have difficult relatives to deal with.”

Can’t get enough of PEOPLE’s Royals coverage? Sign up for our free Royals newsletter to get the latest updates on Kate Middleton, Meghan Markle and more!

“Of course, it is understood that it looks bad for the entire family, but that is because of one individual,” the source continued.