‘It’s going to be a royal occasion, but everyone is dreading the thought of seeing Andrew there,’ a source told the Mail on Sunday earlier this week. Another source shed some light on Princess Beatrice’s headspace to the Daily Mail: ‘Beatrice has, of course, invited her father. But things are not warm between them,’ said the royal insider.
‘However, she’s worried about him. He’s going through a low ebb with his mental health, and she recognises that he dotes on his grandchildren, and it would be cruel to deprive him of the chance to attend the christening.’ They added: ‘Some careful conversations and diplomacy with King Charles will have taken place to get to this stage.’
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor was stripped of his princely title by King Charles in November as a result of his relationship with the late convicted sex offender, Jeffrey Epstein
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Indeed, it is believed that the christening would have taken place much earlier in the year had it not been for the scandal that engulfed the royal family when King Charles stripped Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor of his titles and royal accommodation. While Princess Beatrice and her husband, Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, are reportedly keen to keep the focus entirely on Athena, she will no doubt be aware that public attention will surely pivot to the attendance of her father, in what one source told the Daily Mail could be the last time the former Duke of York ever steps foot inside St James’s Chapel.
Understandably, the guest list has been a matter of some speculation. King Charles was said to have received an invite, but has chosen not to attend, despite a free schedule today. Princess Anne is in Berkshire for the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst Sovereign’s Parade. The Wales family did not join the congregation.