King Charles 'grateful' to family member over their help with Prince Andrew 'problem'

The King is said to been relieved that Prince Andrew has decided to stay away from the royals’ Christmas celebrations – and he’s thankful to one person in particular

King Charles faced a major family dilemma earlier this week when his younger brother Prince Andrew became embroiled in another scandal.

Days before the royals were set to gather together for Christmas at Sandringham, news broke about Andrew’s connections to alleged Chinese spy Yang Tengbo. It posed a quandary for Charles, who was said to have expressed concern that Andrew’s presence at both Sandringham and the Buckingham Palace pre-Christmas lunch would detract from the family occasion.

As the furore continued, it was revealed that Andrew had made the decision to stay away from both royal events. And, according to reports, it was all down to his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson, who is said to have encouraged the Prince to spend Christmas at their home.

The former couple, who still live together, will celebrate December 25 on their own at Royal Lodge in Windsor; their daughters Beatrice and Eugenie had reportedly already been invited to spend Christmas with their in-laws. And the King is said to be very thankful to his former sister-in-law for stepping in, with a palace source telling the Times: “I know that the King is very grateful to the duchess for her assistance.”

Much has changed for Andrew and Sarah in the past 12 months. Last Christmas, along with their two daughters, they were invited to Sandringham for the festive celebrations and took part in the royal family’s traditional morning walk to church.

It was all the more poignant for Sarah given that it was the first time she had been invited since 1991. Many saw it as a return to the royal fold for the 65-year-old.

Despite the latest drama surrounding her ex-husband, Sarah remains incredibly loyal to Andrew . In a new interview with the Times , which took part “before recent revelations about Andrew” but published after the event, she gushed about her love for the Prince.

“I was totally and utterly in love with Andrew. I would do it all over again, 100 per cent. He’s the best, a great man with a great heart, and kind. Our wedding was the best day of my life. But I gave up my anonymity that day. I was able to because love conquers all. It’s still with us today. I won’t let him down. He supports me as much as I support him. He’s supported me through thick and thin, not just marriage or divorce. We agree on the three Cs — communication, compromise, compassion.”

Andrew and Fergie split in 1992, and divorced in 1996 after ten years of marriage.

Reflecting on their time together, Sarah told US TV host Ernie Manouse in 2010: “My deal was that I was marrying my man, who happened to be a prince and a naval officer. But what I got was not the man, I got the palace and didn’t get him… and the courtiers told me I had to go to Buckingham Palace and he had to go to sea. For our marriage, I saw him 40 days a year.”

In 2010, Sarah further stated that if they had their time again, they would stand up to those who pushed them apart. She said: “Both Andrew and I… both of us say now if we could go back we would definitely play it differently and we should have learnt how to play the chess game differently. And maybe we have still been together because we would have said ‘no’ to being separated just after our wedding .”