Prince Andrew has strenuously denied assault claims and remains stripped of his honorary military titles
Prince Andrew has strenuously denied assault claims and remains stripped of his honorary military titles DPA via AFP / SWEN PFÖRTNER

KEY POINTS

  • Prince Andrew, Princess Eugenie and Princess Beatrice joined the royal family's Christmas church outing Sunday
  • The Duke of York was spotted walking behind Princess Eugenie on their way to the Church of St. Mary Magdalene
  • Prince Andrew briefly stopped and shared a joke with a woman in the crowd of well-wishers outside the church

Prince Andrew joined his brother King Charles III and the rest of the British royal family for their traditional Christmas Day church outing, and the disgraced royal's appearance received mixed reactions from social media users.

Queen Elizabeth II's second son appeared with the royal family Sunday as they attended the holiday service at the Church of St. Mary Magdalene in Norfolk, England.

In a clip shared by The Sun royal editor Matt Wilkinson via Twitter, Prince Andrew can be seen walking with his brother Prince Edward and Edward's son James, Viscount Severn, as the royal family made their way to the church.

They followed Prince Andrew's daughters Princess Beatrice, who walked beside her husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, and Princess Eugenie, who was joined by her husband Jack Brooksbank.

Ahead of them were King Charles, Queen Consort Camilla, Prince William and Kate Middleton. The Prince and Princess of Wales brought along their three kids: Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.

During the royals' walkabout following the service, Prince Andrew joined in greeting members of the public who were gathered outside the church.

The Duke of York was seen at one point stopping briefly and speaking to a well-wisher in the crowd. The woman laughed before the prince continued to walk with the rest of the royals.

"It wasn't a hostile atmosphere, it has to be said," Wilkinson wrote alongside the footage of Prince Andrew's brief chat with the well-wisher.

The Duke of York has been seen at family events despite being stripped of his military titles and patronages following the sexual assault charges filed against him by Virginia Giuffre. She alleged that she was trafficked by Jeffrey Epstein and forced to have sex with the royal at the age of 17.

Prince Andrew settled the lawsuit for an undisclosed amount in February.

Prince Andrew's appearance during the royals' Christmas outing received mixed responses from Twitter users.

"I wonder if he prayed for forgiveness for his twisted sins. Probably not," one wrote.

"Siding with Prince Andrew will cause King Charles a lot of problems and lose some good favor with the public," another claimed.

"Andrew is [King Charles'] brother. Families should unite. Nothing has been proven, and Andrew wasn't convicted. By virtue of his poor taste in 'friends,' he's paid a terrible price already," a third person opined.

"Trouble is, it also wouldn't look good for the head of the church of England to forbid anybody, let alone his heinous brother, from worshipping at a Christian festival in a CoE Church. Sometimes you just have to hold your nose," a fourth user wrote.

"Andrew wasn't found guilty of anything," one Twitter user alleged.

Meanwhile, Prince Louis stole the show when he made his royal Christmas debut Sunday.

At one point, the 4-year-old was seen tugging his mom Kate's arm as she spoke to well-wishers following the Christmas church service. Prince Louis was also captured on video running to catch up with his parents and siblings after realizing he had been left behind while he was busy collecting presents from the crowd.

Prince Andrew and Queen Elizabeth
Britain's Queen Elizabeth II (L) and her son Britain's Prince Andrew, Duke of York, attend a Service of Thanksgiving for Britain's Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, at Westminster Abbey in central London on March 29, 2022. - A thanksgiving service will take place on Tuesday for Queen Elizabeth II's late husband, Prince Philip, nearly a year after his death and funeral held under coronavirus restrictions. Philip, who was married to the queen for 73 years, died on April 9 last year aged 99, following a month-long stay in hospital with a heart complaint. RICHARD POHLE/POOL/AFP via Getty Images