Bringing a dysfunctional family together for a holiday family reunion can be quite a pain, and The Royal Family is no different with their struggles. Prince William and Kate Middleton have chosen to skip King Charles’s annual Christmas lunch at Buckingham Palace. This news comes shortly after the disgraced Prince Andrew and his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson were “blacklisted” from festivities.
The reason for Andrew’s absence is rather obvious after the recent public scrutiny regarding his involvement with a Chinese spy. According to The Times, the businessman working with the Duke of York “was a member of the Chinese Communist Party and was also working for its United Front Work Department.” Andrew promised this individual “links to the heart of The Royal Family,” which naturally brought about serious national security concerns.
With how much’ controversial baggage’ the Duke carries around with him, few would prefer to have Prince Andrew over for King Charles’s luncheon anyway. The Duke of York is not even considered a working royal after the massive scandal that emerged in 2019 concerning his connection to Jeffrey Epstein amid other heinous offenses and lawsuits.
Nevertheless, he has attended various festivities as a Royal Family member, but his absence at the King’s lunch after the recent spy scandal will not likely be missed. An insider tells Radar Online, “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.”
Prince William and Kate Middleton Ditch Buckingham for Sandringham
As for Prince William and Kate Middleton, the Prince and Princess of Wales chose to spend time with family at Sandringham Estate in Norfolk over Christmas. While there is currently no strong conflict between the King and his elder son, their relationship has been shaky due to William’s plans to run the monarchy not aligning with Charles’s traditional ways. This isn’t reason enough for William to completely avoid Charles during the holidays. Still, the Prince likely wants to enjoy a cozy Christmas with his wife and kids — free from Royal Family drama.
It’s no surprise that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are absent from King Charles’s 2024 Christmas lunch. The two haven’t spent the holidays in the UK for six years, and this year will be no different. Per People, “the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have not received an invitation to this year’s royal Christmas gathering at Sandringham.” This news should come as a shock to no one, as the rift between The Royal Family and the Sussexes is still too great to suddenly resolve over the holidays.
Fortunately for them, Harry and Meghan seemed too preoccupied to care. Harry’s Polo series was recently released to subpar reviews but is fueled by public fascination. And Markle is busy managing her lifestyle brand and preparing for her Netflix special next year. That isn’t to say the two don’t have their own share of drama regarding intense public scrutiny and criticism.
Of course, the general public is both entertained and disappointed with how dysfunctional The Royal Family has become. One commenter refers to them as nothing more than “sad people in expensive clothing“:
“So once again… the RF sucks. Andrew has received virtually a slap on the wrist compared to how ruthlessly they brutalized Harry and Meghan. Kate doesn’t have any commentary for her and William to sell to the media like they did with Meghan.”
Another remarks how this whole lunch-skipping situation with King Charles indicates how the monarchy is falling apart:
“The Monarchy won’t last long since Her Majesty the Queen is gone. The dynamics are falling apart from inner family scandals and whistleblowers. How much longer will the people of the UK back this mess? Long live the King, I guess.”
