Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie Attend Royal Christmas Lunch as Dad Prince Andrew Skips Amid Scandal.
Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie are upholding a Christmas tradition in spite of the controversy surrounding their father, Prince Andrew, and his alleged ties to a purported Chinese “spy.”
On December 19, Princess Beatrice, aged 36, and Princess Eugenie, aged 34, were observed driving with their spouses to the royal family’s customary pre-Christmas luncheon, which was hosted by their uncle, King Charles, at Buckingham Palace.
Their father, Prince Andrew, aged 64, and their mother, Sarah Ferguson, would not be attending the festive gathering due to the scrutiny surrounding the Duke’s alleged connections to Yang Tengbo, a Chinese businessman and suspected spy, with whom Andrew reportedly developed a close relationship and allegedly promised access to the royal family.
Both Prince Andrew and Ferguson, who divorced in 1996 but maintain a close relationship, will also be absent from the royal family’s Christmas celebration at Sandringham on December 25, and it is understood that their daughters will not attend either. Nevertheless, the intense media scrutiny surrounding their father did not deter the princesses from participating in the palace luncheon on December 19.
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Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie were captured on camera as they made their way to a private family gathering, a holiday custom that King Charles has upheld since the era of his late mother, Queen Elizabeth. Princess Beatrice, who is expecting her second child, was seen smiling while traveling with her husband, Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi.
The King and Queen and other members of the Royal Family attended a Christmas service at St Mary Magdalene Church at Sandringham in 2023
Meanwhile, Princess Eugenie gazed out the window during her ride with her spouse, Jack Brooksbank. Other members of the royal family observed en route to the Christmas luncheon at Buckingham Palace included King Charles, 76, Queen Camilla, Princess Anne accompanied by her husband Vice Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence, Prince Edward and Sophie, the Duchess of Edinburgh, as well as Prince and Princess Michael of Kent, Prince Edward, the Duke of Kent, along with additional relatives and friends.
According to the Daily Mail, Penny Knatchbull, a friend of the late Prince Philip, was also in attendance, along with Lady Gabriella Windsor, the daughter of Prince and Princess Michael, whose late husband, Thomas Kingston, passed away at the age of 45, a matter currently under investigation.
Prince William, Kate Middleton, and their children unexpectedly did not attend the luncheon, deviating from the tradition observed in previous years.
The Prince and Princess of Wales, along with their children—Prince George, aged 11, Princess Charlotte, aged 9, and Prince Louis, aged 6—were not anticipated to participate in this gathering, which serves as a casual occasion for the extended family to unite prior to the Christmas season. The Wales family is currently in Norfolk, England, situated over 100 miles from London, in preparation for the royal family’s private Christmas celebrations at the Sandringham Estate.