Prince Andrew was not present at the church service that the rest of the British royal family attended as he faces backlash surrounding his ties to deceased sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
The royal family attended the main Christmas Day church service at 11 a.m. in Sandringham in Norfolk, while the Duke of York went to an earlier service at 9 a.m., the BBC reported. He was also absent when members of the family went to greet the public at the conclusion of the service.
Queen Elizabeth II attended both the services, according to the Daily Beast, which also reported that Andrew was “ordered” not to appear at the main service.
The prince’s ties to Epstein have been scrutinized since the disgraced financier died from an apparent suicide in his New York prison cell as he was awaiting trial in August. Andrew participated in an interview with the BBC’s Emily Maitlis last month and was ridiculed for a number of answers he gave to questions about his friendship with Epstein. – read more