Kate and Wills skip King Charles' pre-Christmas lunch - after Andrew pulled out over Chinese ‘spy’ pal

KATE and Wills skip King Charles’ pre-Christmas lunch – after Andrew pulls out amid alleged Chinese spy scandal.

The Prince and Princess of Wales are not at the royal family’s traditional pre-Christmas lunch and are in Norfolk as planned.

King Charles hosts pre-Christmas lunch Credit: James Whatling

The monarch was chased out of Buckingham PalaceCredit: PA

Prince Andrew with Sarah, Duchess of York, for the Royal Family’s traditional Christmas service at Sandringham last yearCredit: Splash

He comes as a suspected Chinese spy, since Yang Tengbo, who was friends with Andrew, was first exposed

The Sun has exclusively revealed that insiders have invited Andrew to “call in” from a pre-holiday family dinner.

He was due to attend a palace lunch but a source said: “He is under pressure to step down.”

It comes just days after the Duke of York said he would not be joining the royal family at Sandringham for the usual celebrations on Christmas Day.

It is understood his ex-wife Sarah, Duchess of York, has also pulled out of the Norfolk ceremony.

Rumor has it that the couple will be staying at the Royal Lodge in Windsor during that time.

‘ENOUGH IS ENOUGH’

Both Andrew and Fergie’s daughters, Beatrice and Eugenie, have already decided to spend Christmas with their in-laws.

It comes after a suspected Chinese spy who was friends with Andrew was exposed for the first time.

The insider said it was difficult to see the Duke “ever again in public with the royal family”.

They said: “It’s hard for me to imagine him ever joining them in public again, to be honest.

“There are only so many times a duke can be asked to bow his head and wait out the storm. Enough is enough.”

Yang Tengbo, 50 – who is understood to have been a “close confidante” of the Duke of York – can be named after a court ban on anonymity was lifted this afternoon.

During the court hearing, judges concluded that Yang had not been honest about his ties to the Chinese state and could have exploited his relationship with the duke and other public figures.

The former president of the Hampton Group was in the country for two decades.

The photos show him posing with former prime ministers David Cameron and Theresa May, as well as the royal family.

He was even invited to Andrew’s birthday in 2020 and supported him in his recent scandals.

But the suspected spy later lost an appeal against a decision to bar him from entering the UK on national security grounds.

Anti-terrorist services stopped him in 2021 and ordered him to hand over his devices.

Court documents say Yang spent his time between China and the UK and told officials he considered the country his second home.

He was “kicked” off a flight from Beijing to London in February last year and told the Home Secretary he was in the process of looking into the case to ban him from the UK.

CHINA must be placed in the highest threat category, MPS requirement

JACK ELSOM, Chief Political Correspondent

CHINA must be placed in the category of the greatest threat in the new register of foreign influence, MPs demanded tonight.

Ministers have been accused of stalling after confirming that the list of clandestine operators would not be active for at least six months.

The Beijing “spy” row has sparked angry exchanges between Labor and the Tories, with both sides claiming the other was recklessly subservient to the communist regime.

Sir Keir Starmer was criticized for taking a “sycophantic tone” with President Xi at the G20 summit last month.

Security Minister Dan Jarvis said the long-awaited foreign influence registration scheme would be launched next summer.

The program – announced by the Conservatives – will force people working for overseas powers to report their activities to the Home Office.

It is divided into two levels, with the highest “enhanced level” for hostile states that require additional screening.

A government source told The Sun that China is not currently earmarked for that category.

Former Tory security minister Tom Tugendhat, who spearheaded the scheme in government, said yesterday: “The advice from MI5 was very, very clear. If China is not at an improved level, it is not worth having.”

Former Home Secretary Suella Braverman added: “Isn’t it unfortunate that it took a high-profile case, public outcry and opposition to drag a minister into the chamber for the government to finally commit to implementing the Foreign Influence Registration Scheme.”

And former Conservative leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith fumed: “How could someone who was known for the strength of the security committee be allowed to get so close to a member of the royal family without proper oversight to expose him.”

Mr Jarvis insisted the Government would not hesitate to use “every tool at our disposal” to keep Britain safe – and blamed the Tories for leaving the register plans in disarray.

He said: “Where there are individuals who pose a threat to our national security, we are committed to using the full range of available powers to disrupt them.”

Conservative shadow home secretary Chris Philp attacked Sir Keir’s summit meeting with President Xi last month.

He said: “Given what we’ve learned and what we know, these very close relationships that the Prime Minister is clearly trying to have may not be wise, and the rather sycophantic tone that the Prime Minister had with President Xi at the G20 a few weeks ago may not be very wise in light of what we have now.”

Pointing out David Cameron’s infamous beer with the Chinese strongman, Mr Jarvis retorted: “At least he didn’t take him to the pub for a pint.”

That order was issued the following month, and his appeal of the decision was dismissed last week by a special immigration appeals court.

The judges concluded that Yang had not been honest about his ties to the Chinese state and could have taken advantage of his relationship with the duke and other public figures.

Guy Vassall-Adams KC, for Yang, told the High Court: “There has been an enormous amount of media reporting in relation to this story, and in particular in relation to the relationship between my client, H6, and Prince Andrew, as well as an enormous amount of speculation as to the identity my client.”

Yang said he “didn’t do anything wrong or illegal,” adding in a statement that “the widespread description of me as a ‘spy’ is completely untrue.”

It comes after the Sun reported last week that a foreign agent knew how to sneak people in and out of the prince’s Royal Lodge home.

The shocking revelation came in a letter from one of the king’s chief advisers, Dominic Hampshire, to a spy.

Mr Hampshire continued to work for Andrew even after MI5 found a message on the spy’s phone in 2020.

It read: “I hope you are clear where you sit with my principal (Andrew) and his family.

“You should never underestimate the power of that relationship.

“You are sitting at the very top of the tree that many people would like to be at.”

It added: “Under your guidance, we have found a way to get the relevant people in and out of the Windsor house seamlessly.”

Mr Hampshire also confirmed that the man could act for Andrew in negotiations with Chinese investors.

The message was sent 10 months after the Duke stepped down from public life after paying compensation to Virginia Roberts-Giuffre, the victim of his American pediatrician friend Jeffrey Epstein.

A source told The Sun: “Dom was still working for the Duke until at least April this year.

“It’s hard to believe, given that Andrew must have known for years that his Chinese connections had become a matter of national security.”

A statement from the duke’s office on Friday said “nothing of a sensitive nature [was] ever discussed”.

The statement added: “The Duke of York followed HMG’s advice and ceased all contact with the individual after concerns were raised.

“The Duke met the individual through official channels, without discussing anything sensitive.

“He cannot comment further on matters relating to national security.”

Writing in the Sun, royal expert Phil Dampier said: “By allowing a Chinese spy into royal residences such as Windsor and Buckingham Palace, he has compromised the security of the entire royal family and the institution of the monarchy.”