Prince Andrew pulls out of royal family's pre-Christmas lunch amid Chinese 'spy' scandal
18 December 2024, 14:02 | Updated: 18 December 2024, 14:19
The Duke of York has pulled out of the royal family's traditional pre-Christmas lunch as he continues to be dogged by his links to an alleged Chinese spy.
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Andrew has decided not to attend the gathering at Buckingham Palace on Thursday after speaking to his ex-wife and close friend Sarah, Duchess of York, according to a source.
The move is another embarrassing moment for the King's brother, who has already withdrawn from joining senior royals at Sandringham for the festive period.
The Buckingham Palace lunch is a private event for senior royals and their wider family who will not be attending Christmas celebrations at Charles's Sandringham home.
Earlier this week, it was revealed in a High Court hearing that alleged Chinese spy Yang Tengbo, who was banned from the UK, was said to have been a "close" confidant of Andrew.
Mr Yang, who was named after an anonymity order was lifted on Monday, has insisted it was "entirely untrue" to claim he was involved in espionage and that he has "done nothing wrong or unlawful".
The businessman, previously referred to only as H6 in the legal case, was the founder-partner of the Chinese arm of the duke's Pitch@Palace initiative, and twice visited Buckingham Palace in 2018 to meet with the late Queen's second son.
He is also said to have entered St James's Palace and Windsor Castle at Andrew's invitation.
On Friday, the duke's office said Andrew "ceased all contact" with the then-unnamed businessman when concerns were first raised about him.
Andrew met Mr Yang through "official channels" with "nothing of a sensitive nature ever discussed", a statement said.
