After the news broke last December that Prince Andrew had hosted Yang Tengbo at Buckingham Palace twice, the Duke denied any wrongdoing. However, he was nevertheless advised to skip Christmas festivities with the rest of the royal family. He had been invited to join around 70 other royals at Buckingham Palace for Christmas lunch, and to travel to Sandringham for the day itself. However, according to The Times, insiders urged Andrew to ‘do the decent thing’ and step back from the celebrations. As royal expert Jennie Bond told OK! magazine: ‘You can’t help but think that life would be easier all round if the Yorks began to stage their own festivities at Christmas’.
Instead of joining the rest of the family at Sandringham, he spent the period at home at Royal Lodge in Windsor, accompanied by his ex-wife, the Duchess of York. Sarah Ferguson has already pledged her loyalty to Andrew, affirming to The Times earlier this year that she thought him ‘the best, a great man with a great heart, and kind… I won’t let him down. He supports me as much as I support him.’ His two children, meanwhile are also said to be loyal to him – although they are eager for their father to mend his ways.
