King Charles excludes Prince Andrew and his divorce from the family’s Christmas celebrations

In a new step indicating the tightening of the procedures within the British Royal Palace, King Charles III informed his brother Prince Andrew and the former Duchess of York, Sarah Ferguson, that they are not welcome in the celebrations of the royal family this year.

According to sources close to the palace, the decision comes in the context of the king’s desire to keep the Duke and Duchess away from each other, after it was found that Sarah maintained previous relations with the late American billionaire, Jeffrey Epstein, after he was publicly convicted in 2011 on charges related to sexual assault on children, and although Sarah denied any involvement, the continuation of her relationship with him even after his conviction raised Hafiz Palace.

The sources reported that King Charles prefers not to participate Andrew and Sarah, who officially launched in 1996, in any future activities or meetings concerning the royal family, and this comes after the king tried, last year, to involve the duchess on a mission to persuade Andrew to stay away from Christmas gatherings, after doubts about his relations with controversial figures, including the Chinese spy, were raised The alleged Yang Tinjo.

A source close to the king said: “You cannot deny your brother, but if the Duke and Duchess show the same respect, which was shown by him last year, and away from the gatherings, this will be in the interest of the family, and everyone will be avoided making more strict decisions.”

For her part, sources close to the Duchess, Sarah, expressed her grief over the embarrassment caused by these developments, and confirmed that she intends to clarify her position to the family in a timely manner, it is reported that Sarah and Andrew spent last Christmas together in the house of “Royal Lodge” in Windsor, where they still live despite their separation, while their two daughters were absent from them, the two princesses Beatrice and Juin.

The royal family, according to those close to the king, wants the Duke and Duchess of York to remain completely out of view on family occasions, and to attend, if necessary, through side or secret entrances, to avoid any excitement of public opinion or media.

The public appearance of Andrew and Sarah during the funeral of the Duchess of Kent in the Cathedral Westminster, which the king personally attended, sparked surprise inside the palace, and although the king does not prevent anyone from performing rituals or attending funerals, it is preferable that their presence be less public.

One of the close associates stated: “The king does not prevent anyone from going to the church, but he hopes that this will be done in a more conservative way. As for the Duke of York, it seems that he does not see the necessity for concealment.”

After the funeral ceremony, Prince Andrew appeared trying to speak with his nephew Prince William, who completely ignored him, and it is known that William is considered a source of threat to the reputation of the royal family, and strongly supported his father’s hard -line approach to him.

This shift in the palace policy represents a new blow to the Duchess Sarah, who had come out of her isolation after the king’s throat in 2022, as he invited her to participate in Christmas celebrations in Sandingham in 2022 and 2023, which is the first time in 30 years to participate again on family occasions, and last year she participated in the annual royal march to the church, accompanied by Andrew and their two daughters.

The Duchess had positively talked about her relationship with King Charles in an interview with the Sunday Times, and described her relationship with him as a “document”, noting that she knows him since her childhood, and appreciates him a lot, and that she is so far called her beloved “Fergie”, and expressed her desire to perform general tasks in the name of the royal family, saying: “I hope that he will ask me to participate in more tasks.”

As for Prince Andrew, he withdrew from public life since 2019, after a televised interview with the “Newnaette” program, in which he tried to defend his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein, but he received widespread criticism, and the case included accusations from the young Virginia Giovry, who claimed that Ebstin forced her to establish relationships with Andrew when she was 17 years old, and Andrew denied these allegations, and a settlement was made The case is outside the court, then Giovry later died last April at the age of 41. About “The Times”