Prince Andrew will not join Royal Family at Sandringham for Christmas as fresh controversy continues

The Duke of York won’t be with the Royal Family for Christmas at Sanrdingham this year.

It follows revelations of contact with an alleged Chinese spy who has been named as Yang Tengbo.

It’s understood Prince Andrew will spend the day at Royal Lodge on the Windsor estate. His former wife, Sarah, Duchess of York won’t be at Sandringham either – she had attended last year and was seen walking to church with the Royal Family for the first time in decades.

The latest controversy to engulf the Duke of York had been revealed in court several days beforehand after Yang Tengbo challenged a ruling to bar him from the UK. He lost that appeal. Prince Andrew has since said he cut all contact with the businessman.

It’s understood that, as a consequence of the controversy that has sprung up following the revelations, the Duke of York has agreed not to go to Sandringham. He won’t be seen at any of the very few royal events he still attended to avoid causing distractions.

Prince Andrew lost all his patronages and the use of his HRH as well as his status as a working royal because of his friendship with convicted sex offender, Jeffrey Epstein. The prince also paid undisclosed damages to Virginia Giuffre to settle, out of court, a case in which she claimed he sexually assaulted her – he denied that claim.

Buckingham Palace hasn’t commented.