Royal insiders react to Prince Andrew's shock Easter outing as William's feelings emerge

Prince into the family fold on Easter Sunday, despite dragging the Chinese spy scandal engulfing the disgraced royal. The Duke of York into church at St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle, for the Easter service alongside the King .

Despite being forced to stand back from royal duties more than five years ago, Andrew was assured by his brother when he ascended the throne that he would not be shut out of family gatherings. But his relationship with family members, including the King and , remains "incredibly strained" after a series of incidents which have heaped further embarrassment on the , sources have revealed.

The King and Queen today were in sparkling form, waving and wishing crowds "a very happy Easter", after attending church with several members of the royal family, including the Duke of York and his . The Prince and decided to skip the Windsor gathering to extend their break in Norfolk having just returned from a family skiing holiday,

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However, William is understood to be reluctant to spend time with his uncle Andrew, 65, at any family gathering, after the Duke heaped shame on himself and the institution in recent years. The Prince of Wales was instrumental in Andrew's banishment from royal life, after his disastrous Newsnight interview in 2019 which exposed his relationship with the late billionaire paedophile .

A royal source said: "William has no time for his uncle. This Easter was about spending time with his own family, but he would far prefer a situation where he doesn't have to spend time with him." Andrew has become embroiled in a series of further scandals after reaching an out-of-court settlement worth £12million with Virginia Giuffre, a former sex slave of Epstein's who accused the royal of sexually assaulting her on three occasions in 2001. The settlement, in February 2022, was made without any admission of liability and Andrew has consistently and vehemently denied any wrongdoing.

The King overruled William over cutting Andrew adrift, by inviting him to Balmoral in the summer of 2023 to spend time with him and the extended family. William was pictured driving his uncle to Crathie Kirk church one Sunday, with the Princess of Wales in the back seat. Sources said Andrew was 'cookahoop' at no longer being an outcast.

But he soon incurred the wrath of the King and senior palace officials over his refusal to vacate his 30-room Royal Lodge mansion, when offered a smaller home on the Windsor estate. Andrew was then last December identified as having an "unusual degree of trust" with Yang Tengbo, a Chinese businessman banned from entering Britain over alleged connections to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).

Mr Yang, the co-founder of Andrew's now-defunct Dragon's Den style investor programmed 'Pitch@Palace', unsuccessfully challenged the decision at the Special Immigration Appeals Commission (SIAC), unearthing extraordinary details of his relationship with the disgraced Duke in the process. The controversy forced Andrew to miss the royal family's traditional gathering at Sandringham.

It subsequently emerged last month how Andrew and his former adviser Dominic Hampshire twice went to Windsor "without being seen" to talk to the King about an investment fund linked to Mr Yang. Mr Hampshire said in evidence to the SIAC dated May 2024, that he had met twice with Andrew and the King in the previous six months to discuss "what the duke can do moving forwards in a way that is acceptable to His Majesty".

did not deny that the meetings took place but said at no point did Andrew or his former aide Dominic Hampshire mention the Chinese businessman, believed to have been tasked with turning the Duke's fortunes around. Mr Yang has previously said he intends to appeal against the decision upholding his ban from entering the UK.

A senior royal source said: "The Duke seems to be in the habit of being a significant contributor of for the family and many have run out of patience with him." One of Andrew's remaining supporters continues to be his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson, who he still lives with in Windsor.

Fergie was seen today waving to photographers after being driven to church with Andrew, Princess Anne and her husband Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence. The King later arrived in the State Bentley to spring sunshine and, alongside the Queen greeted the Dean of Windsor, Dr Christopher Cocksworth, before turning to wave to the crowds gathered opposite.

Other senior royals then arrived on foot, led by the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh and their son James, the Earl of Wessex. The York sisters joined them, with Princess Eugenie wearing a striking white coat and matching hat as she walked beside her husband Jack Brooksbank and Princess Eugenie, who gave birth prematurely in January, and her husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi.

After the service the Queen, wearing a pale blue embroidered dress and matching hat, was given a posy from a young girl and told her: "Happy Easter, thank you so much!" Camilla spoke to several royal fans, clutching the bouquet of flowers, saying: "How nice to see you, Happy Easter." When one well-wisher handed her a card, she said: "Thank you very much."

The Duke and Duchess of York were the last to leave, with Fergie smiling and waving to the cameras while Andrew made a hasty retreat to join his brother and sister-in-law on the short walk up the hill towards the Castle. Buckingham Palace did not comment.