PALACE CELEBRATIONS EXPLODE!

THE ROYAL FAMILY ARE AT WAR

After a year filled with scandalous revelations and reported feuding, the Queen must be hoping the festive celebrations taking place over the coming week will help unite the royal family.

But now New Idea has learnt that any possibility of a calm Christmas and New Year may yet culminate in more drama and tears than festive cheer.

“It will certainly be tense at Sandringham,” royal author Phil Dampier tells us.

“2019 has been a turkey for the Queen and although not as bad as the infamous ‘annus horribilis’ of 1992, it’s not been far behind.

She will be hoping that over this period her family can get together and plan a way forward for the long-term good of the monarchy.”

While Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have chosen to spend the holiday season in the US with their son Archie and Meghan’s mother Doria Ragland, the rest of the royal family are keeping up with tradition and joining Her Majesty at her country retreat, Sandringham House.

But royal insiders warn that drama between some of the most senior members of the monarchy is likely to reach boiling point as the family gather for the annual festivities.

In particular, the relationship between Princess Anne – famously one of the hardest-working royals of all time – and her disgraced younger brother, Prince Andrew is reportedly extremely tense.

“Princess Anne would not be happy with Andrew’s behaviour and isn’t one to hide her feelings. She may have a few harsh words with her brother,” suggests Phil.

After months of speculation following the duke’s association with convicted, and now deceased, sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and the ensuing fall-out from his car-crash Panorama interview, Anne is said to be particularly keen to avoid spending any time with Andrew, who was last month stripped of his royal duties.