Prince Andrew looked solemn when spotted out for a drive on Boxing Day, after deciding not to take part in the festive celebrations at Sandringham with his family.
The royal, 64, looked helpless as photos showed the king’s younger brother behind the wheel on Thursday afternoon.
Another passenger was sitting next to him, but it is understood not to be his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson, who was at his side yesterday as the disgraced duke stayed away from the traditional royal Christmas ride.
The couple were seen driving through Windsor on Wednesday as other prominent royals joined them in Norfolk to walk and talk to fans.
The Prince has voluntarily agreed to withdraw from the celebrations at Sandringham with Fergie, MailOnline revealed last week.
Amid the alleged Chinese spy scandal to which Prince Andrew is linked, Fergie is believed to have influenced her ex-husband’s decision not to attend.
Last year he enjoyed family festivities for the first time since 1992.
Elsewhere, the Duchess of York shared her own Christmas message yesterday thanking everyone for their kindness and support this year while out for a walk with the late Queen’s corgis.
Prince Andrew looked solemn when spotted out for a drive on Boxing Day, after deciding not to take part in the festive celebrations at Sandringham with his family.
The royal, 64, looked helpless as photos showed the king’s younger brother behind the wheel on Thursday afternoon.
Sarah Ferguson and Prince Andrew attended Royal Ascot together in 2019. His ex-wife was by his side yesterday
Sarah, dressed in a black jacket and skirt, shared the video of herself and the two dogs on top. instagram page on Christmas Eve.
In the video, he said the season was a time of reflection and offered “a huge hug of kindness” to all his fans.
Sarah said: ‘It’s a moment of reflection and I just want to say thank you and a huge hug of goodness and kindness to those of you who have been so kind and supportive.
‘People around the world who are feeling depressed or sad (can) just receive some bubbles of joy from us, we are sending a lot to them.
“You have to continue to show light, turn towards the light and find joy and say thank you and I really think that’s very important, so thank you.”
The Daily Mail previously revealed Her Majesty did not want to ban her brother from attending but hoped he could “do the decent thing” and decide to stay away in light of the growing spy scandal.
King Charles and Queen Camilla arrived at Sandringham yesterday for the Christmas Day festivities.
Charles, pictured, waved to onlookers as Catherine held the hand of her youngest son, Prince Louis.
Fergie attended the stroll on Christmas Day last year with other royals for the first time since 1992.
A suspected Chinese spy, Yang Tengbo, is said to have become a “close” confidant of the Duke of York and has since been banned from entering the UK following an MI5 investigation.
Tengbo has denied being a spy or doing anything illegal. He challenged his ban before the Special Immigration Appeals Commission (SIAC) in July, but lost his appeal last week.
A statement from Prince Andrew’s office said: “The Duke of York followed the advice of Her Majesty’s Government and ceased all contact with the individual after concerns were raised.”
‘The Duke met the individual through official channels and never discussed anything of a sensitive nature. He cannot comment further on matters related to national security.’
Sarah Ferguson and Prince Andrew divorced in 1996 after separating in 1992, but the duchess has remained close to her ex-husband.
“Sources on both sides of the fence have told me that she has been instrumental in simply being a small, calm voice of calm in her dealings with her ex-husband and they have told me that the King understands that it is a ‘very delicate situation,'” she said. royal editor Rebecca English on Mail+’s Palace Confidential last week.
“She has been very loyal to Andrew with all his difficulties over the years, but also to be fair to her, she has been respectful to the King, the Queen and the late Queen Elizabeth.”
Fergie still lives with her ex-husband at Royal Lodge in Windsor Great Park, Berkshire.