Prince Andrew’s absence casts shadow over King Charles’s royal pre-Christmas lunch

Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy King Charles’s traditional pre-Christmas lunch faces being overshadowed by the last-minute withdrawal of Prince Andrew as he continues to be dogged by his connection to an alleged Chinese spy. open image in gallery King Charles arrives at Buckingham Palace for the festive lunch The Duchess of York only rejoined the annual royal Christmas walk last year, for the first time since her divorce from Andrew in 1996. Its believed she stepped in after King Charles and Queen Camilla privately urged Andrew to “see sense” and withdraw from Thursday’s gathering as the PR crisis continues to roll on. open image in gallery Kate and William at Sandringham last Christmas with their children, from left, Princess Charlotte, Prince George and Prince Louis, with Mia Tindall, the daughter of William’s cousin Zara The legal process ended when he paid millions to settle the civil sexual assault case with Virginia Giuffre, a woman he claimed never to have met and who was trafficked by Epstein.