Prince William, Kate may skip King Charles lunch to avoid Andrew?

King Charles is hosting his pre-Christmas lunch amid a new scandal that has left him worrying about his brother Prince Andrew.

While names of royal family members who are to attend lunch have been mentioned in several UK media reports, it's not clear whether Kate Middleton and Prince William would be there too.

A report said the school attended by their children have closed for holidays and they might attend the lunch if they do not leave for their Norfolk abode.

A separate report said Prince Andrew has been asked to make a discreet arrival and exit from the party amid his latest scandal allegedly linking to a Chinese spy.

Given the nature of Andrew's relationship with Prince William and Kate Middleton, the Prince and Princess of Wales may skip the lunch hosted by the monarch.

The king's recent efforts to get the couple bury the hatchet with Andrew have failed.

Meanwhile, Andrew is facing intense media scrutiny after revelations that a close Chinese business associate of the scandal-hit younger brother of King Charles was thought by the British government to be a Chinese spy.

In a court ruling on Thursday, it was disclosed that the businessman, known only as H6, had been banned from Britain on national security grounds because the authorities suspected he was working clandestinely for Beijing to forge close contacts with prominent British figures.