A Royal expert has claimed that the prince’s involvement in a Chinese spy scandal could mean he never spends Christmas with the Royals again.

The prince is expected to spend Christmas in Windsor with ex-wife Sarah Ferguson (Image: Getty)

Prince Andrew might never have Christmas dinner at Sandringham again after the Chinese spy scandal, according to a Royal expert.

The Duke of York, 64, had been invited to the Royal Family’s Christmas celebration but felt compelled to stay away following the scandal surrounding an associate being named as an alleged Chinese spy.

Biographer Andrew Lownie told The Sun’s Royal Exclusive show: “I don’t think he’s going to go to Sandringham ever again.”

He added that the Royals needed to distance themselves from the disgraced Duke in order to avoid embarrassment.

The Duke has recently been pictured driving alone near his estate in Windsor whilst the remainder of the firm gather in Norfolk for Christmas.

The Duke’s relationship with an alleged Chinese spy has seen him embroiled in fresh controversy (Image: -)

Prince Andrew was Queen Elizabeth’s third child and was widely considered to be the late monarch’s favourite.

But he has suffered a stunning fall from grace since agreeing to take part in an ill-fated interview with the BBC’s Newsnight in 2019 which saw the Duke answer questions about his much-criticised friendship with the disgraced financier and convicted paedophile Jefferey Epstein.

In the interview conducted by Emily Maitlis, the Duke refused to denounce his friendship with billionaire people trafficker Epstein and gave bizarre answers to questions surrounding an alleged sexual assault of a 17-year-old which included the now infamous Pizza Express and inability to sweat defences.

The Duke has since stepped away from Royal duties and has kept a low profile.

But he was once again making headlines after it came to light that Yang Tengbo, a business acquaintance described as a “close confidant” of the prince, had been expelled from Britain due to suspicions that he was acting as a spy for the Chinese government.

Since 2019, the Duke has been forced to step away from Royal duties (Image: Getty)

The Duke has denied any knowledge and claimed to have severed ties immediately upon learning of the accusations of espionage against Tengbo.

But the latest scandal could be the straw which breaks the camel’s back for the outcast prince.

During the Sun’s Royal Exclusive show, GB News royal correspondent Cameron Walker said it was “pretty telling” Andrew’s upcoming absence emerged a week before Christmas Day itself.

He said: “If we’d have had no confirmation either way this story would have really dragged on and all everyone would be talking about on Christmas morning is [is] Andrew going to turn up for this Sandringham walk on Christmas Day?”

The prince is expected to spend Christmas Day at the Royal Lodge in Windsor with ex-wife Sarah Ferguson whilst children Beatrice and Eugenie having already planned to spend the day with their respective in-laws prior to the scandal coming to light.