Prince Andrew will be once again seen in the public come Christmas Day. The Duke of York is set to join Queen Elizabeth II and the rest of the royal family members at the Church of St Mary Magdalene for the traditional family celebration.
It will be the first time that the troubled prince will make his public appearance after his car crash interview on BBC Newsnight. "The Duke of York is still a part of the royal family, and you can expect to see him at family occasions," a source told The Sunday Times.
Her Majesty and the royal family traditionally attend the morning service at St Mary Magdalene Church every Christmas. Most of them walk to church from Sandringham Palace and back again. They also have a quick chat with the people.
Previous reports suggested that Prince Andrew would be excluded from the high-profile festive service due to the fears that sex abuse campaigners would intervene. A royal source even said that there were discussions about Christmas Day and the advisers' request for the troubled prince to "stay away from the church," where he would be seen with the royal family.
There are concerns that sex abuse campaigners will join the crowds to ridicule Prince Andrew publicly. As the press will grace the event, the activists know that their move will be part of the headlines the next day. Although the officials are not afraid of the protest, they are more worried about the further embarrassment it will cause the royal family.
To recall, Prince Andrew was forced to step down from his royal duties after the backlash over his ill-judged comments in the BBC interview. Some said he didn't show sympathy to Jeffrey Epstein's victims and didn't even feel sorry about it, per The Sun.
He also said that he couldn't remember meeting Virginia Roberts, who claimed she was forced to have sex with him on three occasions when she was only a teenager. The father-of-two denied the accusation and said that he didn't even know Roberts.
According to Express, Buckingham Palace insiders asked Prince Andrew not to give further interviews over his connection with Jeffrey Epstein and Virginia Roberts after he faced criticisms and extreme pressure. However, CNN royal commentator Victoria Arbiter revealed that there were rumors he wanted to give another interview again to counter Roberts' claims on BBC Panorama.
