Prince and Princess of Wales will not attend pre-Christmas lunch for first time
The Prince and Princess of Wales did not join the rest of the Royal family for its traditional pre-Christmas lunch at Buckingham Palace.
The couple and their three children are already in Norfolk, where they will spend the festive period at their country home, Amner Hall.
The decision not to attend the lunch was made some time ago, according to a Kensington Palace source.
The couple are said to be looking forward to spending time with the family as usual at Sandringham over Christmas.
It is thought to be the first time the Waleses have opted not to join the wider family at the annual event, which offers the monarch a chance to gather together those who are not invited to Sandringham.
Their absence comes as Prince Andrew also pulled out of the lunch, which is a highlight in the royal calendar, after becoming embroiled in a scandal over an alleged Chinese spy.
Around 70 members of the extended family are invited to the lunch, where they will enjoy organic turkey and all the trimmings.
The King was the first to arrive at the palace, photographed in the back of a car alongside Sir Clive Alderton, his private secretary, at 11am.
The Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh followed around 20 minutes later.
The Queen later arrived, smiling and waving to the crowds gathered at the palace gate.
Princess Beatrice, with her husband, Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, and Princess Eugenie, with husband Jack Brooksbank were also spotted being driven into the palace grounds.
The lunch will allow the sisters a chance to catch up with their aunts and cousins, having decided some time ago to spend Christmas with their respective in-laws rather than at Sandringham.
The Duke of Kent, Lord Frederick Windsor, with his wife Sophie Winkleman and daughter Isabella, and Penelope Knatchbull, Countess Mountbatten of Burma, were also seen arriving ahead of the lunch.
Attendees traditionally sit down for a Sandringham-bred turkey, followed by Christmas pudding and accompanied by champagne and wines.
There are crackers, jokes and party hats, although the royal children usually dine separately with their nannies.
For the last two years, the King has opted to host the Christmas lunch at Windsor Castle instead, however, it is once again being held at Buckingham Palace this year, as is traditional.
The Waleses’ decision not to join the family for lunch comes at the end of a difficult year that saw the Princess diagnosed with cancer and undergoing a gruelling course of chemotherapy.
The heir to the throne admitted recently that it had been “brutal” and probably the worst year of his life.
While the Princess has begun to make a very gradual return to public life, she remains largely at home.
In a personal letter, written to those invited to her Christmas carol concert at Westminster Abbey, she suggested that the time away had allowed her to reflect on what was important.
She said Christmas was a time not just for celebration but also to “slow down and reflect on the deeper things that connect us all”.
She added: “It is when we stop and take ourselves away from the pressures of daily life, that we find the space to live our lives with an open heart, with love, kindness and forgiveness – so much of what the Christmas spirit is all about.”
