Here are some photos of King Charles on Friday, attending one of his favorite events – the Crafts at Christmas showcase at Highgrove Gardens. That’s where local craftspeople and artisans showcase their work – I think for sale? – at Charles’s Highgrove estate. He loves that kind of thing and he was delighted. Unfortunately, this was one of the few delights left in the Christmas season. Charles had his Christmas agenda set: Project Snub The Sussexes 2024. Charles and Camilla invited their extended families to Sandringham for Christmas and palace insiders could not shut up about how Charles would host “the largest Christmas gathering in years.” Of course, Charles was making a point to tell everyone that Harry, Meghan, Archie and Lilibet are not invited. And then Prince Andrew blew up the plan with his Chinese spy drama, which broke last week. Andrew had been providing access to a Chinese spy for several years… and now it’s ruined Charles’s Christmas agenda.

The royal family is unusual in many respects, and punishing people by not allowing them to go to church is one of their oddities.Such a sorry fate potentially awaits Prince Andrew, with speculation rife that King Charles may distance himself from his brother on Christmas Day amid controversy that Andrew allegedly befriended a Chinese spy. A report in the London Times said the king “could” ban the duke from joining the royals on their annual walk to church in Sandringham.

Andrew was previously banned from attending the Christmas Day service (and photocall) after his disastrous BBC interview in which he failed to express any regret for his association with Jeffrey Epstein. He was readmitted to royal churchgoing society in 2022, but it now looks like the rehabilitation is over.

Supporting the thesis of the Times story, The Daily Beast was told by a friend of the king, “His Majesty’s patience is wearing thin. He has stood by Andrew for many years, but everyone has their limits. I can’t see the king wanting to walk to church with someone who was friends with a Chinese spy.”

Buckingham Palace declined to comment but another friend of the king said: “Andrew is finished. You would have thought it would be hard to find a way to make things worse but somehow he has managed it.”

[From The Daily Beast]

Notice how they’re talking around whether Andrew is still invited to Christmas at Sandringham and they’re making it all about the church walk on Christmas morning. That’s because Charles is too chickensh-t to actually disinvite or outright ban Andrew from Sandringham. It’s gotten so bad, Charles’s minions ran to Becky English at the Mail to rant about it. The basic gist is that Charles is exerting public pressure on Andrew to not come to Sandringham:

As the nation prepares to sit down and break bread with their nearest and, ahem, sometimes not so dearest this season of Goodwill, the King is facing a particularly vexing Christmas conundrum. What on earth to do about his bothersome brother, Prince Andrew, whose issues seem to pop up like a particularly bad bout of the annual festive flu. For the truth is that the King doesn’t want to have to go so far as to ban Prince Andrew from joining the rest of the Royal Family for the much-loved Sandringham church visit and walkabout. He is, at the end of the day, his blood brother: he can’t divorce him, or indeed prevent him from seeing other family members.

But he is desperately hoping the Duke of York will ‘do the decent thing’ and ‘recuse’ himself from joining them at Sandringham to spare the rest of the Royal Family further embarrassment following his latest, and potentially highly politically damaging, scandal, having a suspected Chinese spy as a ‘close confidant’ and trusted business adviser. As it stands, I am told, Andrew is due to join the rest of the family in Norfolk next week for the festive gathering. He and his ever-expanding family – including his ex-wife, the Duchess of York, and daughters Princess Beatrice and Eugenie and their children – had been expected to take over Wood Farm, a large property on the royal estate.

Now, engulfed in yet another furore of his own making, pressure is being placed on the duke to ‘see sense’. Friends suggest Andrew, 64, must know his presence will put His Majesty in a very awkward position. If he allows him to attend it will be tantamount to putting his arm around his brother’s shoulder in a very visible manner just days after he became embroiled in an explosive ‘spy’ scandal. But to ‘ban’ him would be the equivalent to a public excommunication – and with all the apron strings finally cut, who knows what the duke might do next?

Andrew, I understand, will still have the chance – should he so wishes – to see his family at the private pre-Christmas lunch the King throws his extended family (the cousins, nieces and nephews who don’t make the cut to Norfolk) this week – but a discreet entrance and exit, at least, would be appreciated. But after that? Well, sources say, surely it is a matter for that much-vaunted sense of ‘honour’ Andrew told us all he had during his infamous 2019 interview in the wake of Epstein scandal and to politely withdraw from all royal festivities, for this year at least. His family would certainly be grateful for it, I suspect, and he might even earn some respect.

[From The Daily Mail]

Becky English devoted the second half of the piece to ranting about Royal Lodge and how Andrew could still live in Frogmore Cottage free of charge if only he would give up his home. The whole “But to ‘ban’ him would be the equivalent to a public excommunication …who knows what the duke might do next?” thing is about Harry. They’re emphasizing that Harry has been excommunicated, that Harry is unwelcome, that Charles doesn’t worry about his other blood relation, his younger son. Even before the spy business blew up, it already looked awful that Charles was making such a BFD about “big family gathering for Christmas” while pointedly excluding his son, daughter-in-law and grandchildren. That’s also why I think Andrew will be welcome at Sandringham, but yeah, he probably won’t go on the church walk.

Update: After all of that, Andrew has apparently told Sky News that he and Fergie will not go to Sandringham for Christmas.

Photos courtesy of Cover Images.