King Charles Has Banned Prince Andrew From Christmas Gatherings But Is Still Allowing His Brother to Host Certain Parties

Following the recent reports that put Prince Andrew’s association with convicted late pedophile Jeffrey Epstein back in the headlines, King Charles did what many expected and barred his younger brother from upcoming events. One such event is the royal family’s annual walk from the Sandringham House to church on Christmas morning.

Several outlets reported that the king banned Andrew and his ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, from joining the family for the holiday festivities and that the Duke and Duchess of York wouldn’t be seen in public with the rest of the royals anymore.

However, according to The Royalist via the Daily Beast, while the monarch does not want to be seen with his sibling in public, he is still allowing him to keep some privileges and host gatherings behind closed doors. The outlet reported that King Charles still wants Prince Andrew to host shooting parties at royal estates since he still has the same shooting privileges now that he had in his younger years.

These parties will include hosting “family day” at Windsor, which takes place after the pheasant shooting season starts in November.

The Duke of York’s biographer, Andrew Lownie, weighed in on this, saying: “King Charles does not want to antagonize his younger brother entirely but he needs to recognize that the public wants some answers about the Yorks’ connections with Jeffrey Epstein and how they have exploited their royal status for personal financial gain.”

Someone who likely isn’t thrilled about this decision is Prince William. It’s been reported that the Prince of Wales feels that his father has been too soft on Andrew over the years and has been pushing the king to take away all the duke’s privileges because of the Yorks’ association with Epstein.

Buckingham Palace has not yet commented on this report.