King Charles has indicated that Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson will not be invited to spend Christmas with the Royal Family this year.
According to sources close to the King, he intends to keep the Duke and Duchess of York at a distance after it emerged that Fergie continued contact with Jeffrey Epstein, the late convicted paedophile, despite publicly denouncing him in 2011.
The King has also let it be known that he would like the pair, who divorced in 1996, to remain “invisible” at future family events.
Last Christmas, Charles enlisted the duchess’s help to persuade Andrew to “do the decent thing” and stay away after reports of Andrew’s connection with the alleged Chinese spy, Yang Tengbo.
King Charles wants Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson ‘invisible’ at Christmas
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A source close to Charles told The Times: “You can’t sack someone from being your brother.
“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.”
Friends of the duchess said she was “devastated for any embarrassment” caused by the latest revelations and “will explain herself to the wider Royal Family in due course”.
The Yorks spent Christmas last year at Royal Lodge, their shared home in Windsor, without their daughters, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie.
Friends of the King have also suggested that he wants Andrew and Sarah to stay out of sight when they do attend family occasions, using discreet entrances whenever possible.
Concerns were raised earlier this month when the couple made a public entrance alongside other royals at the Duchess of Kent’s funeral at Westminster Cathedral, which the King also attended.
A friend said: “The King is not of the mind to banish someone worshipping at church or attending family occasions like a funeral.
“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.”
Sarah Ferguson and Prince Andrew spent Christmas together at Royal Lodge last year
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During the funeral service, Andrew, 65, was seen trying to chat casually with the Prince of Wales, 43, who avoided engaging with his uncle. William regards Andrew as a reputational “risk” and “threat” to the monarchy and fully supports his father’s tougher stance.
Charles and William are currently in Scotland, where they are thought to have discussed these developments.
The change in approach is a particular setback for the duchess, whom Charles had welcomed back into the royal fold after becoming King in 2022.
He invited her to the Christmas gathering at Sandringham in 2023 — her first invitation in 30 years — where she joined the family’s traditional walk to church alongside Andrew, Beatrice, 37, and Eugenie, 35.