Prince Edward and his wife Sophie were reportedly “unhappy” with plans for them to share a cottage with Prince Andrew over Christmas at Sandringham.
Initial arrangements had the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh under the same roof as the Duke of York, who has faced fresh controversy—this time linked to allegations involving a “Chinese spy.”
However, The Sun has reported that their concerns have been alleviated, as Andrew has been advised to stay away from royal events, including the traditional Sandringham Christmas walkabout.
He also missed the royal family’s traditional pre-Christmas lunch, reportedly following advice from his ex-wife and close confidante Sarah Ferguson.
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It is believed that Ferguson again persuaded Andrew not to spend Christmas at Sandringham, a decision likely made easier by their daughters, Beatrice and Eugenie, spending the holiday with their respective husbands.
The former Duchess of York, who returned from a trip to Australia last month, has been offering support to Andrew, with whom she still shares a home.
The pair have been under some pressure to move out of the Royal Lodge and into Frogmore Cottage, which has been vacated by Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.
Andrew’s now-ended relationship with an alleged Chinese spy is the latest in a line of dubious friendships that has embarrassed The Firm and led to Andrew stepping back from royal duties.
The so-called spy has been named as Yang Tengbo, the founder-partner of Pitch@Palace China, an initiative led by Prince Andrew to support entrepreneurs, launched in 2016.
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Mr Yang has argued that the widespread description of him as a spy is “untrue”.
Either way, Edward and Sophie might be relieved that they do not now need to share lodgings with the apparent black sheep of the family.
The pair were “unhappy” at the thought of needing to live “cheek by jowl with the Yorks”, according to the Sun, although no source has been credited for the quotes.
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