King Charles has reportedly told Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson to skip this year’s royal family Christmas celebration.
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Sources close to the royals told The Times of London that King Charles wants the former couple not to attend the family’s holiday event. He also wants them to be “invisible” to the public.
The move to keep Prince Andrew and Ferguson behind closed doors comes just weeks after reports surfaced that Ferguson had maintained contact with Jeffrey Epstein. She previously claimed that she cut ties with Epstein in 2011. A letter from Prince Andrew’s ex-wife also surfaced.
In 2011, Ferguson stated she had made a “terrible, terrible error of judgment in accepting £15,000 from Epstein. The money was used to pay off some debt. “I abhor pa*dop*ilia.”
The media outlet also reported that King Charles had asked Ferguson to prevent his younger brother from attending the Christmas gathering in 2024 after it was revealed that Prince Andrew had developed close ties with an alleged Chinese spy, Yang Tengbo.
“You can’t sack someone from being your brother,” one source allegedly close to King Charles said about the Prince Andrew and Ferguson situation. “But this year, if the duke and duchess were both to be as honourable [as last year], it would be very much for the best and the family would not be disappointed, not least to avoid the King having to make any more difficult decisions.”
Sources Close to Sarah Ferguson Say She Was “Devastated” by King Charles Uninviting Her to the Christmas Event
Meanwhile, sources say that Sarah Ferguson was “devastated for any embarrassment” caused by her letter to Jeffrey Epstein. She also said she would “explain herself to the wider royal family in due course.”
The former couple did not attend last year’s holiday event. However, they raised some eyebrows when they appeared alongside other royal family members at the Duchess of Kent’s funeral.
“The King is not of the mind to banish someone worshipping at church or attending family occasion like a funeral,” one insider said. “But he would hope they would find a more discreet way of attending these events. In the Duke of York’s case, he seems to relish the prospect of not being low-key about it.”
Ferguson and Prince Andrew continue to live together at the Royal Lodge in Windsor despite their 1996 divorce. Ferguson previously opened up about her relationship with King Charles and Queen Camilla.
“I’ve known the King all my life and I absolutely adore him,” she said. “He’s kind and makes me laugh, and I love that he still calls me Fergie.”
Hinting her interest in doing more royal family work, Ferguson said, “I wish they’d ask me to do more.”