In a conversation with the Daily Mail, Dampier shared his thoughts on the King’s Christmas snub, and pointed out, “If it turns out they [Andrew and Ferguson] are not invited, or decide themselves not to go, then it makes it very difficult for Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie.” He added that the York sisters “may feel it would be unfair of them to go when their parents aren’t there, and it simply rubs salt in their wounds.” He also said, “The King has a soft spot for both Beatrice and Eugenie and feels sorry for the situation they are in. So it’s a real dilemma for him and one he could do without.”
Dampeir’s comments come shortly after a source told the Sunday Times that Charles was planning to exclude Andrew and Ferguson for Christmas at Sandringham. They claimed, “You can’t sack someone from being your brother,” underlining the difficult balance the King is expected to strike. They added, “But this year, if the Duke and Duchess were both to be as honourable [as last year], it would be very much for the best and the family would not be disappointed, not least to avoid the King having to make any more difficult decisions.” Meanwhile, Charles had allegedly asked Ferguson to help convince Andrew to ‘do the decent thing’ and avoid the Christmas celebration last year after the disgraced Duke got involved with Chinese spy Yang Tengbo.
Charles’s strict stance on Andrew and Ferguson came shortly after the Duchess of York’s scathing email leak. The excepts, published by The Sun, show Ferguson praising Epstein as “a steadfast, generous and supreme friend to [her] and [her] family.” It was written just weeks after she said in an interview that she regretted accepting money from him and vowed not to contact him again. After the scandal broke, a source told the Daily Mail, “William feels even more strongly than the King that Andrew and Fergie are an embarrassment and will be urging his father to act. The optics of that pair of chancers guffawing away [at events] look terrible.”
The King is also reportedly under pressure from Prince William to completely ban Andrew and Ferguson from family events. Although Charles may refrain from banning the Yorks from all events, he is reportedly considering ending their long lease on Royal Lodge, along with uninviting them for Christmas. The aforementioned insider revealed that the Prince of Wales is satisfied with the King’s decision, viewing it as the bare minimum to protect the monarchy’s reputation.
