Disgraced Prince Andrew Joined the Royal Family's Annual Christmas Outing

The royal attended a church service with his family members.

Prince Andrew Christmas 2023
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Despite stepping down from his role as a working royal in 2019, Prince Andrew is still a member of the family. And it looks like the working royals extended him an olive branch this holiday season.

Andrew joined the royal family on their annual trip to attend Christmas Day church services at St. Mary Magdalene. The family was also joined by Andrew's ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, for the first time in decades.

Prince Andrew and Fergie Christmas 2023

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Andrew's surprise Christmas appearance comes after he was stripped of his military titles in 2022. The royal had been linked to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and faced allegations of sexual abuse.

Last November, a source told the Daily Mail that King Charles was "displeased" about his other siblings, Prince Edward and Princess Anne, meeting up with their disgraced brother at a shooting party. (Charles apparently thought Andrew should stay out of the public eye.)

And while Andrew was very much in the public at the Christmas Day church service, this isn't the first time he's attended a holiday outing with the royal family. People notes that Andrew attended last year's Christmas church service, as well as Easter church services and Queen Elizabeth II's funeral. He was also present at Charles's coronation in May.

If rumors are to be believed, Andrew's time away from the public eye may not be permanent. In March, The Mirror reported that the prince was considering writing a tell-all book, following the success of Prince Harry's memoir, Spare.

"Writing a book would give him the opportunity to fully explain his association with Jeffrey Epstein and the resulting fall-out," a source told the Daily Mail at the time. "But it would also be a fascinating insight into the inner workings of the royals and their relationships." The rumors about Andrew writing a book haven't been confirmed, but anything is possible.

Meghan De Maria
Celebrity News Writer

Meghan is a freelance news writer at Marie Claire. Her work has also ppeared in Bustle, Refinery29, Popsugar, and other outlets. When she isn't writing, Meghan runs a community for plus-size people in the Raleigh-Durham area of North Carolina.