Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor urged Eugenie and Beatrice to spend Christmas with the King so they could tell him what he’d missed, Royal expert claims

Disgraced Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor urged Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie to spend Christmas with King Charles so they could report back on what he had missed, a royal expert has claimed.

Andrew, 65, did not attend the Royal Family’s annual Christmas at Sandringham and was forced to spend it alone at Royal Lodge after being stripped of all his titles over his links to paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.

But it is claimed he pushed his daughters, Beatrice and Eugenie, to attend so he could find out what family members were saying about him.

Princess Beatrice was due to go skiing over Christmas but is said to have changed her mind and was seen on the steps of St Mary Magdalene Church, in Sandringham, with Eugenie and the King on December 25. 

Eugenie and Beatrice could be seen following King Charles and Queen Camilla with their husbands, Jack Brooksbank and Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi.

Other Royal Family members including the Prince and Princess of Wales also travelled to Sandringham for the Christmas Day service.

But their was no space for Andrew or his ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, who have both been exiled amid increased scrutiny over their friendship to Epstein.

Andrew is expected to soon vacate the Royal Lodge and is set to move into the Marsh Farm property on the Sandringham estate, which is currently being renovated.

Princess Eugenie and Princess Beatrice are pictured beaming at the Sandringham Christmas Day service

Royal author Ingrid Seward claims that although Andrew could not attend the Royal Family’s Christmas himself, he may have used his daughters to report back to him.

She told The Sun: ‘I don’t think Beatrice and Eugenie had a choice. Andrew said to them ‘you have to go’.

‘He wants to know what’s going on and what people are saying about him. They are Andrew’s only passport into the Royal Family now.

‘I’m absolutely sure he persuaded them.’

King Charles has quietly made clear that while his shamed brother is unwelcome at any family festivities, his nieces – who remain ‘blood princesses’ and have retained their York titles – should not be made to pay for their father’s ‘sins’. 

A source said: ‘His Majesty is very fond of them.’

Andrew has been stripped by the King of all his remaining titles and forced to downsize from his 30-room Windsor mansion over his ties to Epstein.

He cut a solitary figure on Christmas Day, driving himself out of the Windsor estate, wrapped in a scarf and casual waterproof, in stark contrast to his smartly-dressed daughters and their husbands in Sandringham.

Last night, the Mail revealed how Andrew’s Royal Lodge mansion was not inspected by officials once in the 22 years he lived there rent-free.

When the lease for the 30-room Royal Lodge estate was signed in 2003, it included unique terms which included no rent but a costly upfront refurbishment and upkeep schedule.

Pictured: Princess Eugenie at St Mary Magdalene Church, Sandringham, on Christmas Day 

Princess Beatrice pictured with her husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi at Sandringham on Christmas Day

Andrew and his ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, have both been exiled amid increased scrutiny over their friendship to Epstein. They are pictured on September 16 at the Duchess of Kent’s funeral

The disgraced royal paid £8million to repair the then-dilapidated property, and promised to allow inspectors in at ‘all reasonable times’ to make sure he looked after it.

In return his Crown Estate landlord, the independent company which manages Crown properties for the benefit of the taxpayer, allowed him to pay no rent for the duration of the 75-year lease.

But not one Crown Estate official carried out an inspection of Royal Lodge in the whole time Andrew lived there – raising concerns of a ‘sweetheart deal’ at taxpayers’ expense.

Virginia Giuffre – a prominent accuser of Epstein – alleged that Andrew had sex with her three times as a teenager.

Andrew, who has always denied the allegations, reached an out-of-court settlement with Ms Giuffre in 2022.

Ms Giuffre died by suicide at her farm in Western Australia aged 41 on April 25 last year.