It’s an unusual holiday season for the royal family. Following on the heels of a challenging year marked by multiple cancer diagnoses, there was another departure from the norm today as the majority of the York family—Prince Andrew, Sarah Ferguson, and their daughter Princess Eugenie—did not join in the annual royal holiday celebrations. Eugenie is expected to be spending the day with her in-laws, while their parents celebrate at their home at the Royal Lodge in Windsor.
Their non-appearance at the holiday gathering comes after several weeks of headlines connecting Prince Andrew with alleged Chinese spy Yang Tengbo. Documents released during a review of a 2023 decision banning Yang from the UK have raised questions about his connection to the royal and the amount of influence he may have had over Andrew.
The scandal—only the latest involving the prince, who stepped back from his position as a working royal in 2019 in the wake of scrutiny over his relationship with sex offender Jeffrey Epstein—ultimately culminated in a number of the Yorks not participating in the royal holiday celebrations at Sandringham, in Norfolk.
Instead, reports suggest that Eugenie, her husband, Jack Brooksbank, and their sons, August and Ernest will be spending the day with Jack’s family. Though that means we won’t be getting a picture of them walking with the rest of the royal family on their traditional stroll to Christmas Day services at the Church of St Mary Magdalene, given that Eugenie is one of the most active social media users in the royal family, we may yet see a new Christmas snap of her brood on Instagram.
Lauren Hubbard is a freelance writer and Town & Country contributor who covers beauty, shopping, entertainment, travel, home decor, wine, and cocktails.