The Prince and Princess of Wales’s Christmas Card (Image: Instagram)
Prince William and Princess Kate unexpectedly missed the pre-Christmas lunch at Buckingham Palace today.
The Royal couple, along with their three children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis, were anticipated to join the annual festivities.
However, shortly before the event was due to commence, it was announced that the family would not be in attendance. A palace insider revealed that the family is already in Norfolk as planned, eagerly awaiting Christmas celebrations with the rest of the royals at Sandringham.
Amid the ongoing drama surrounding his ties with alleged Chinese spy Yang Tengbo, Prince Andrew was also notably absent, but his daughters Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie did attend.
The Royal couple did not attend (Image: Aaron Chown-WPA Pool/Getty Images)
After the children broken up for their Christmas holidays from Lambrook on 13 December, it’s believed the Prince and Princess of Wales and family immediately headed to Anmer Hall, their beloved country retreat on the Sandringham estate in Norfolk.
Yet, their absence from the Buckingham Palace lunch has nevertheless sparked speculation, particularly as Wiliam, as the future King, typically attends such significant Royal events, a tradition he has upheld for many years.
A source from Kensington Palace insisted to the Telegraph: “The decision not to attend the lunch was made some time ago.”
This resulted in the King being without either of his sons at the Palace – although the Waleses are set to celebrate Christmas with Charles and Queen Camilla next week, according to the Mirror.
King Charles III and his private secretary Sir Clive Alderton arriving (Image: PA)
Some speculated that the couple’s absence was tied to Prince Andrew and the controversy surrounding his relationship with an alleged spy.
However, insiders were quick to dismiss this, pointing out that Andrew had already chosen to skip the event.
Despite missing today’s gathering, the Waleses unveiled their Christmas card this afternoon, featuring a charming family photo.
The image was taken from a video shared by Kate in September when she announced the end of her chemotherapy treatment and her commitment to “doing what I can to stay cancer-free”. In the picture, William and Kate are seen embracing their children Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Princess Louis.
Princess Beatrice arrives for King Charles III’s Christmas lunch (Image: PA)
In the video, the princess shared a heartfelt message about her cancer journey, accompanied by images of the Waleses and their children enjoying the Norfolk countryside, strolling through woods and sharing a cuddle while holding hands.
She described the year up to that point as “incredibly tough for us as a family” and spoke of how the “cancer journey is complex, scary and unpredictable for everyone”, adding that the experience has given her a “new perspective on everything”.
The card carries the message, “wishing you a very Happy Christmas and New Year”.
This comes as King Charles, who has hosted the pre-Christmas party at Windsor Castle for the past two years, has moved the event back to Buckingham Palace today, where the late Queen nearly always held the lunch.
Princess Eugenie arrives (Image: PA)
Earlier, the King was spotted entering the palace ahead of the party to make final preparations for his guests. He was followed by the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh, Edward and Sophie.
As previously reported, Prince Andrew will not be attending the event. The embattled Royal will not join the party due to the ongoing controversy over his relationship with alleged Chinese spy Yang Tengbo.
However, his daughters Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie were both present. A pregnant Beatrice was seen in the passenger seat while her husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi drove them to the party, and Eugenie was also spotted in a car with her husband Jack Brooksbank.
Among the attendees were Lord Frederick Windsor, his wife Sophie Winkleman and their daughter Isabella; the Duke of Kent; Prince and Princess Michael of Kent; the Earl of St Andrews; Lady Marina Windsor and Lady Amelia Windsor; Timothy Taylor, Lady Helen Taylor, Estella and Eloise Taylor; Lady Margarita Armstrong-Jones; and Lord Downpatrick. They were joined by Countess Mountbatten of Burma Penelope Knatchbull; James and Julia Ogilvy; Samuel Chatto; the Earl of Ulster and Lord Culloden; Flora and Timothy Vesterberg; Princess Alexandra; and Lady Davina Windsor.
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Andrew has chosen to avoid this year’s celebrations due to his recent drama. It is believed that it was his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson who advised him to maintain a low profile and refrain from attending the Palace party.
Moreover, the former couple have decided to stay at their home in Royal Lodge on Christmas Day, rather than journeying to Sandringham with the rest of the family, to prevent further embarrassment to the King.
This Christmas will be particularly poignant for the Royal family, marking the end of a highly challenging year following Kate’s cancer diagnosis and subsequent chemotherapy treatment, as well as the King’s own ongoing cancer treatment.
