Prince Andrew Urged to Leave the Royal Lodge After 'Further Embarrassing' the Royal Family With His Chinese Spy Scandal
Prince Andrew resigned from royal duties in 2020, but he will now live a private life after a series of scandals.
Dec. 20 2024, Published 6:00 p.m. ET
Prince Andrew's Chinese spy scandal might be the final push King Charles needs to remove his brother from the Royal Lodge after a year of trying to evict him.
Sarah Ferguson continues to defend her ex-husband, Prince Andrew, in interviews.
"Sarah Ferguson herself said, 'Let's not make any protests, keep our heads down, let's not bring further embarrassment and cause trouble to the King and to the rest of the royal family,'" royal commentator Sarah Louise Robertson told GB News about Andrew's ex-wife, who still lives with the duke.
"Given obviously what's unfolded over the last week, further embarrassment that Andrew's heaped on the king and the royal family, they decided that they should keep a low profile," Robertson explained.
Prince Andrew was stripped of his HRH status in 2022.
Andrew's reputation first unraveled when it was revealed he had ties to Jeffrey Epstein, but Charles continued to include his sibling in official events despite his fall from grace.
"I think Charles is very polite, and I think in these situations, courtiers and other people do that chastising for him," Louise Robertson said. "We won't be seeing Andrew on the royal walkabout, and he's not going to be staying in Wood Cottage this Christmas like he did last year.
"He's going to be staying at Royal Lodge with Sarah Ferguson, and their two daughters are both spending Christmas with their in-laws," she added of their daughters making other plans.
In 2023, Andrew and Prince Harry were asked to move out of their royal estates, but only the latter successfully vacated their home.
"I think next year we're going to see more pressure heaped on Andrew to move out of Royal Lodge and to go into a smaller property on the Windsor estate," Louise Robertson stated.
"It's not like he's going to be left out in the cold, homeless, so to speak," she said, noting Andrew still receives help from his family. "And like other people, he's not being turfed out onto the street."
Prince Andrew continued to attend public gatherings despite being accused of assault.
Though Andrew resigned from his role in 2020 after being accused of assault, scandal continues to follow him four years after leaving his position.
"It's probably a shame for him that this has happened yet again, and there's an ongoing situation that the King at some point is going to have to address," Louise Robertson shared.
"I think something's going to have to give, and if Andrew is serious about showing his brother and the royals and Britain that he is sorry for situations that he's at the center of, this would maybe go some way to apologizing and doing that," she added.
OK! previously reported Andrew hired alleged spy Yang Tengbo as a "business adviser," but Tengbo was later barred from the U.K. in 2023.
Due to the institution's importance, Andrew's decision to work with Tengbo is "apparently serious breach of national security."
Tengbo called the accusations about him "entirely untrue," and admitted he wanted his attornies to publish his name due to "speculation and misreporting."
"I have done nothing wrong or unlawful and the concerns raised by the Home Office against me are ill-founded," he said in a statement.
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Sarah Ferguson and Prince Andrew will spend Christmas at the Royal Lodge.
Although Andrew's presence within the royal fold has been criticized in the past, the palace isn't opposed to holding the Duke of York accountable.
“The palace has behaved the best it possibly can with a difficult relation," an insider explained. "Every sanction that can be imposed has been, but you can’t divorce or sack your brother from being your brother. There will always be a bond of blood, and all families often have difficult relatives to deal with. Of course, it is understood that it looks bad for the entire family, but that is because of one individual."
