Prince Andrew is believed to be so fed up with his fall from grace that he has “refused to walk the late Queen’s corgis”.
The Duke of York was given two of Her Late Majesty’s dogs after her death, but the 64-year-old does not want to walk any of them because he is so “demoralized” by life.
Instead, he is said to ask footmen to walk the dogs around the grounds of Windsor Castle, along with his five other dogs he shares with his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson.
The embattled Duke of York agreed not to further embarrass the king and voluntarily decided, along with the Duchess of York, to skip the annual celebrations in Norfolk.
A source told the Sun: “He is so depressed and demoralized that he hasn’t even been able to motivate himself to walk the dogs.”
“He used to do it regularly, but lately he doesn’t even dare to go out.”
Prince Andrew is believed to be so fed up with his fall from grace that he has “refused to walk the late Queen’s corgis”.
The Duke of York was given two of Her Late Majesty’s dogs after her death, but the 64-year-old does not want to walk any of them because he is so “demoralised”.
MailOnline understands that her daughters, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, had already made the decision to spend Christmas with their respective in-laws, having not had the opportunity to do so for several years.
The Daily Mail revealed today that 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.
It is understood that the King and Queen were hoping that none other than the Duchess of York would come to their rescue and save the family’s festivities this Christmas, and it appears that was the case.
In an interview over the weekend, Sarah compared herself to “a sad man’s caretaker” and also spoke of her love for the king and his kindness to her.
Fergie often accompanied the monarch, who owned more than 30 corgis and dorgis throughout her life, on her walks around the grounds of Windsor Castle towards the end of her reign.
Meanwhile, Andrew faced further embarrassment when it emerged that he and Prince Harry are known as the “Dukes of Hazard” to Palace courtiers.
It comes after a deluge of negative publicity surrounding the couple.
In an interview over the weekend, Sarah compared herself to “a sad man’s caretaker” and also spoke of her love for the king and his kindness to her.
Fergie often accompanied the monarch, who owned more than 30 corgis and dorgis throughout her life, on her walks around the grounds of Windsor Castle towards the end of her reign.
Suspected Chinese spy Yang Tengbo, who forged links with Andrew and mixed with other British establishment figures, insisted he has “done nothing wrong or illegal”.
Suspected Chinese spy Yang Tengbo, who forged links with Andrew and mingled with other British establishment figures, insisted he has “done nothing wrong or illegal”.
Yang said it was “completely false” to claim he was involved in espionage and said he was a victim of a “political climate” that had seen rising tensions between the UK and China.
Businessman Yang became a “close” confidant of the duke and has also been photographed with senior politicians including Lord David Cameron and Baroness Theresa May.
The Royal Household is investigating allegations that Andrew invited him to Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle and St James’s Palace.
In a statement after a High Court judge lifted an order granting him anonymity, he said: “Due to the high level of speculation and misrepresentation in the media and elsewhere, I have asked my legal team to reveal my identity.” .
‘I have done nothing wrong or illegal and the concerns raised by the Home Office against me are unfounded. The widespread description of me as a “spy” is completely false.’
Last week, Yang lost an appeal over a decision banning him from entering the UK on national security grounds. In the legal case he was known only as H6 until the anonymity order was lifted today.