EXCLUSIVE: Shamed Andrew Windsor's Royal Exile Highlighted By Solo Horse Ride in the Rain — As His Princess Daughters Were Hosted by King Charles at Royal Family Pre-Christmas Lunch
Andrew Windsor’s isolation has stood out as he rode alone while his daughters lunched with King Charles.
Dec. 21 2025, Published 2:45 p.m. ET
Prince Andrew was conspicuously absent from the royal family's annual pre-Christmas lunch as his daughters were welcomed by King Charles – underlining the disgraced former Duke of York's deepening isolation while the rest of the family gathered at Buckingham Palace.
RadarOnline.com can reveal the pre-festive lunch, held on December 16, 2025, brought together around 70 members of the extended royal family for a long-standing festive tradition hosted by the monarch, 77.
A Stark Contrast in the Windsor Rain
Prince Andrew missed the royal family’s pre-Christmas lunch at Buckingham Palace
Princess Beatrice, 37 and Princess Eugenie, 35, attended with their husbands, Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi and Jack Brooksbank, arriving separately and leaving together in what royal watchers described as a clear show of support from the King toward his nieces.
Their father, Andrew, 65, and their mother, Sarah Ferguson, 66, were not invited for the second consecutive year, amid the ongoing fallout from scandals that have left Andrew stripped of titles, patronages and his former royal residence.
As members of the family arrived at the palace dressed in festive attire, Andrew was photographed earlier in the day riding alone on horseback through Windsor Great Park in heavy rain.
The solitary image is now widely being seen by palace observers as symbolic of his status as persona non grata within the royal fold.
"The difference could not have been clearer," one royal source said. "As the family presented a united front in public, Andrew was plainly left on the margins.".
Formal Exclusion from Festive Traditions
Andrew rode alone through Windsor Great Park as the family gathered in London.
Windsor's absence follows a year in which he has faced further humiliation after losing his remaining royal styles and being forced to vacate Royal Lodge.
He will also be excluded from the King's Christmas gathering at Sandringham and is expected to spend the holiday period privately, some 140 miles from the Norfolk estate.
A palace insider said: "A firm line has been drawn that he will not be included in either public appearances or private gatherings. Safeguarding the institution has come first, and always will."
By contrast, Beatrice and Eugenie are being embraced by the wider family.
"The signal and symbolism has been very deliberate," a source close to the household said.
"The King was keen to show that his nieces remain respected and backed, irrespective of their father's circumstances."
Eugenie was seen wearing festive candy-cane earrings as she left the pre-festive event at the palace, smiling alongside her sister.
Senior Royals Gather in Full Strength
Observers viewed Andrew’s absence as a sign of deepening royal isolation.
Among the other senior members of The Firm in attendance were Prince William, 43, and Catherine, Princess of Wales, also 43, who returned to the lunch after missing last year's party during her cancer treatment.
They were accompanied by their children Prince George, 12, Princess Charlotte, 10, and Prince Louis, 7.
The Wales family's presence marked a return to normality after what aides previously described as an exceptionally difficult period.
Other guests included Prince Edward, Duke of Edinburgh and Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh, along with their daughter Lady Louise Windsor. Anne, Princess Royal, was there with her husband Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence, while Prince Edward, the Duke of Kent were also guests.
David Armstrong-Jones, the Earl of Snowdon arrived by bicycle, while Lady Gabriella Kingston attended following the death of her husband last year.
Redrawing the Internal Royal Boundaries
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Insiders said the guest list underlined who remained included in the monarchy.
The lunch traditionally features a Sandringham-reared turkey with seasonal trimmings, followed by Christmas pudding, with younger royals dining separately with their nannies.
"The occasion is usually informal and family-focused," a royal aide said. "This time, though, it also subtly underlined who remains included and who does not."
Throughout Elizabeth II's reign, the gathering was a fixture of the royal calendar.
A source said: "This year's guest list was far from simply a continuance of that tradition – it reflected a monarchy continuing to redraw its internal boundaries as Andrew's exile becomes impossible to ignore."
