Will Prince Andrew’s absence at Sandringham speak louder than his presence would have? - Jayne Dowle

After the year the Royal Family have endured, with both the King and the Princess of Wales undergoing cancer treatment, no sign of rapprochement between the Prince of Wales and his errant brother, Harry, and the Queen’s own health under scrutiny, the last thing they needed was Andrew – still carrying his title of the Duke of York - under fresh embarrassment and scuppering their show of survival and unity against the odds.

After his questionable friendship with disgraced financier and convicted paedophile Jeffery Epstein, who died in prison whilst awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges, and the accusations that flew regarding his own allegedly inappropriate behaviour with young women, now the late Queen’s favourite son has mired himself in yet another humiliating scandal.

This time it’s over his links with Yang Tengbo, an alleged Chinese spy who was banned from the UK in 2023. Businessman Tengbo, who is said to also use the name ‘Chris Yang’, has a masters’ degree from the University of York and founded what’s reported as a “travel services” company in the UK in 2005.

He was granted indefinite leave to remain in the UK in 2013, but less than 10 years later, Tengbo was stopped at the UK border.

Then in July 2023, then-Home Secretary Suella Braverman banned Tengbo from the country, writing in her decision that he was "not deemed to be conducive to the public good”.

Tengbo, who has agreed to have his anonymity lifted, said in a statement earlier this week that he's done “nothing wrong” and descriptions of him as an alleged spy were “entirely untrue”.

Prince Andrew has so far said nothing, despite accusations swirling that he could have promised his new friend access to high-ranking Royals and politicians, including David Cameron and Theresa May.

As always with Royal dilemmas of a delicate nature, the exact circumstances of the 64-year-old’s withdrawal are shrouded in smoke and mirrors.

It’s not clear, according to reports, if he has indeed fallen on his sword over Sandringham or been persuaded that a no-show, at least in public, would be for the best.

It is a highly-unusual step and shouldn’t be underestimated. Even after the car crash interview in November 2019 with Newsnight’s Emily Maitlis, in which he was quizzed about his friendship with Epstein, he still turned up to Sandringham church on Christmas Day, walking alongside his elder brother, the then-Prince Charles.

Key difference – their mother was still alive. The late Queen famously said that, just as medieval monarchs constantly toured their kingdoms so the common folk knew they were still alive – “We have to be seen to be believed.”

It’s a mantra which has been used many times to justify the Royal overseas tours that sometimes attract controversy, and to explain why it’s still important for the reigning monarch to deliver a televised address to the nation and the Commonwealth on Christmas Day. Prince Andrew, due to past indiscretions, may no longer be deemed a ‘working Royal’, but his removal as a piece of the familial jigsaw sends a significant message.

The King must perform a balancing act; to bolster the Royal Family’s ranks, which have appeared sparse of late, but never to appear desperate himself.

Andrew’s former wife, Sarah Ferguson, is still standing by her man; it’s reported that they are planning to spend Christmas together. This is quite the sacrifice for the former Duchess of York, who made her return to the Royal Family's Christmas Day walkabout last year, after an absence of 30 years.

Meanwhile, their daughters, Princess Eugenie and Princess Beatrice, are hotfooting it to their respective in-laws with the kids, for the first time. It’s a shame.

We’ll miss their jaunty hats at Sandringham church. But who can blame them?

Prince Andrew might be out of sight this Christmas, and possibly for the foreseeable future, but he won’t be out of mind. After the carols have been sung and the candles lit, the troubling thing remains, his absence actually says more than his presence ever would.