by Mick the Ram

Once again King Charles III has been forced to act on a situation created by the company kept by his younger brother Prince Andrew, who seems to attract trouble everywhere he turns.

Pressure has been put onto the prince by Buckingham Palace for him NOT to attend a traditional Royal Family pre-Christmas lunch after it was disclosed that he has links to Chinese businessman Yang Tengbo who it has been revealed, has been barred from the UK after concerns about national security risks.

Andrew had already pulled out of attending the annual Christmas gathering at Sandringham estate over Christmas following the revelations regarding his Chinese controversy, but royal sources suggest that the prince was made to realise that staying away from the lunch at the Palace was the right thing to do… under the circumstances.

It is understood that his ex-wife, the Duchess of York, had helped him reach both decisions, advising him to keep a low profile during Christmas events, rather than allowing his public attendance to overshadow the occasions.

The King is known to be furious with Andrew for constantly bringing scandals into the family, but despite his “exasperation” at his brother’s antics he will continue to stand by him, although everyone has their limits… even (or especially) the King!

Prince denies any wrongdoing

Prince Andrew has reiterated that he has now ceased all contact with Mr Yang, and his office have stressed that nothing of a potentially damaging had ever been discussed in his dealings with the Chinese business contact.

In a statement, it was said: “Prince Andrew had met the man through official channels and there was “nothing of a sensitive nature ever discussed“.

Looking to gain influence

However, a court case against Mr Yang raised wider political issues about Chinese attempts to gain influence and with it brought up more questions about the prince’s finances, his dealings with international contacts,  and once again his poor judgement.

A letter surfaced on one of Andrew’s devices telling Mr Yang that outside of his (the prince’s) closest internal confidants, the businessman sat “at the very top of a tree that many, many people would like to be on.”

Accusations of spying

The court hearing heard how the Chinese business contact, Yang Tengbo, was alleged to have been cultivating links with senior figures in the UK in such a way as to gain political leverage – or in other words, spying.

Mr Yang was identified as having an “unusual degree of trust” with Prince Andrew and court papers showed that the businessman had documents which described the Duke of York as being in a “desperate situation and will grab on to anything”.

Ban upheld

For his part, Mr Yang rejected all the claims stating that he had not done “anything unlawful”, but despite seeking to challenge the decision to bar him from the UK, the court upheld the ban.

It once again is a source of great embarrassment, not only to the prince, but to King Charles and the royal family as a whole, especially in a year when the public have been fully behind them following the much publicised health issues.

“Honourable” withdrawal

The lunch at the Palace is a private occasion, but it is likely there would have been photographers waiting to get a picture of those attending and inevitably the focus would have centred on Prince Andrew.

After discussions and it is believed a significant amount of pressure from the King, the Duke took the decision to “honourably withdrawn” from this and indeed all of the Royal Family’s Christmas celebrations this year.

No unwanted distractions

It will enable Charles and the rest of the family to enjoy the festivities free from unwanted distractions and after a difficult year, the King and the Prince and Princess of Wales will be able to attend the Christmas morning church service on the estate – which is a big event in the royal calendar – in a more relaxed frame of mind.

It has become a very public appearance, one that is captured around the world, with crowds and photographers in attendance, but they now know it will not be turned into the Prince Andrew show.

Seeking guidance

The Duke of York is now expected to spend the festive season with the Duchess at their Royal Lodge home in Windsor.

Despite divorcing in 1996, Andrew and his ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, remain on excellent terms living under the same roof and often attending public events together.

It is thought that King Charles, who has asked Andrew to vacate the lodge on more than one occasion, will turn to “Fergie” for guidance on trying to maintain a harmonious relationship with the man she understands better than anyone else; because irrespective of his relentless failings, they are still brothers, although the king’s patience is known to be “wearing thin”.