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| Sean Coughlan | Royal Correspondent |
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| Welcome to Royal Watch. Hopefully some of you will soon be able to relax and unwind as we near Christmas. But Buckingham Palace officials will be having sleepless nights over the latest row involving the Duke of York, who won’t be joining the rest of the Royal Family for their festivities.
King Charles has been taking part in a series of Christmas events, while Prince Harry and Meghan have sent out their seasonal greetings. From Royal Watch, we’d like to send our own best wishes for Christmas to all our readers. | |
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Prince Andrew’s China crisis | Headlines in the UK this week have been dominated by another controversy involving the Duke of York. The latest row is about Prince Andrew’s involvement with a Chinese businessman, alleged to have been part of an effort to gain influence over public figures in the UK.
Yang Tengbo, who has been described as a close confidant of Prince Andrew, has been banned from the UK on security grounds - although Yang denies any wrongdoing, or being a spy. Court papers showed that Yang had a document describing the prince as someone “in a desperate situation” who would “grab on to anything”. |
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 | UK authorities allege Yang formed an “unusual degree of trust” with Prince Andrew | This story opened up a can of worms, about where the prince gets his money, his involvement with overseas business partners and his judgement. Although Prince Andrew is not a working royal, it’s still an embarrassment for Buckingham Palace. And there was a clear push for the prince to keep a low profile over Christmas, rather than fuelling the story further with public appearances. |
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|  | Prince Andrew said he met Yang "through official channels". Credit: Reuters | The prince issued a rare statement saying that nothing sensitive had ever been discussed with Yang and he had ceased contact with him. But Andrew has withdrawn from attending the traditional royal Christmas gathering at Sandringham in Norfolk and the family pre-Christmas lunch at Buckingham Palace.
His ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York, is understood to have played an important role in advising Andrew to withdraw. It means he won’t be at any of the royal Christmas celebrations, in particular the big annual photo of the Royal Family on Christmas morning as they walk to church. |
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It’s beginning to feel a bit like… | In case you hadn’t noticed, it’s almost Christmas, and King Charles has really been getting into the festive mood. He arrived at a Christmas market in Battersea, London, to a choir singing the carol We Three Kings - at least they had one real-life King with them! “You’ll need a stiff drink,” he told them, as they sang in the December drizzle. |
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 | The King seemed energised by the crowds. Credit: PA | Even the most upbeat carols have something wistful about them - and it’s been a year of unexpected health problems for the King. But he was given an enthusiastic welcome by crowds at Battersea Power Station, a 1930s landmark building that’s been redeveloped into shops and offices. There were certainly some surprised faces at a Starbucks window as he passed by. The trip also saw him joined by pop star Raye, who performed a Christmas song. |
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 | Apple CEO Tim Cook also met the King. Credit: PA | The King has had a long interest in building bridges between faiths and protecting religious minorities from persecution. At an Advent concert he attended at a Catholic church in London, he heard first hand from refugees about the challenges facing Christians in Syria and Iraq. |
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Royal Quiz | Roughly how many Christmas cards are King Charles and Queen Camilla sending this year?
A. 990
B. 1,600
C. 2,700
Read to the bottom of the newsletter for the answer.
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A tiny glimpse of Harry and Meghan’s children | There’s always interest in Prince Harry and Meghan’s Christmas card, which is often less traditional. This year’s e-card included a glimpse of their children, in one of six shots of the family and the couple embracing others as part of their work. |
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|  | Five-year-old Prince Archie and three-year-old Princess Lilibet can be seen in one of the photos. Credit: Archewell/PA Wire | If a Christmas card could have an accent, this would have an American one, with its “Happy Holiday Season” message. Not unreasonable when the family are now so firmly established in the US.
Meanwhile, the Prince and Princess of Wales shared a Christmas card with personal significance earlier today. It features a picture taken from the video released when Catherine announced the end of her chemotherapy. |
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Your Royal Watch | Last week we asked your views on what themes should be in the Christmas message from King Charles. You had some generous thoughts as ever.
“I think King Charles’s theme should be all about the dangerous world situation we all live in at present, with the solution being ‘love could conquer all’ if all would follow the example of Christmas,” wrote Paula from the US.
“The King should reflect on the less fortunate people. Also be grateful of all the blessings they have received this year,” said Carol from Canada.
“I think the main theme should be sharing - anything material, food, warmth, but more importantly, time, empathy, consideration, connection - the gifts that are the most precious and priceless of all,” wrote Phil from the UK.
We’ll resume Your Royal Watch questions in the new year. Thanks for sending in so many thoughtful messages and we look forward to more in 2025 | |
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A piece of royal history | We thought you might like to see this photo from the first televised Christmas broadcast, which Queen Elizabeth II made in 1957. Two years later, in 1959, she opted for a radio broadcast instead, as she was pregnant with Prince Andrew who was born the following February. |
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|  | Credit: Getty | In 1969, the Queen wrote a Christmas message instead of a broadcast. That year, a special documentary had been released to mark the investiture of the then-Prince of Wales. According to historian David Cannadine, the Royal Family feared “overexposure”.
Additional reporting by Izin Akhabau |
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