Prince William and Kate pull out of major Christmas event for a very good reason
It has been revealed that The Prince and Princess of Wales will miss the annual Christmas lunch at Buckingham Palace today (Thursday, 19 December) as they are already in Norfolk and are gearing up for the festive period.
The couple, along with their three children, Prince George, 11, Princess Charlotte, nine, and Prince Louis, six, will no doubt be excited to spend time with the family over Christmas in Sandringham, as is tradition. King Charles has hosted his last two festive gatherings at Windsor Castle, but this year the venue has been moved back to Buckingham Palace - a favourite spot of the late Queen Elizabeth.
Today's private lunch will see the monarch invite the wider family, who won't be joining him at the Sandringham estate next week. One noted absence, however, will be Prince Andrew as it was recently announced that he has withdrawn from the event due to the controversy surrounding his association with an alleged Chinese spy.
READ MORE: Prince William and Kate Middleton's Christmas card with a poignant nod to 'brutal' year
READ MORE: BBC presenter quits with emotional statement after 24yrs on air
He and his ex-wife Sarah, Duchess of York had been invited to the annual gathering of over 70 royals, but it's understood that the Duchess persuaded Andrew that it would be unwise to attend. This decision will likely come as a relief for King Charles, as his younger brother has once again found himself in the spotlight due to a controversial business relationship.
Earlier this week, Andrew and Sarah decided against joining the rest of the Firm for the traditional Christmas gathering at Sandringham because of the Duke's links with alleged Chinese spy Yang Tengbo. Andrew's decision to withdraw from Sandringham was also likely influenced by his two daughters' earlier decision to spend the festivities with their respective in-laws.
However, his absence from a private family gathering could potentially set a new standard, casting uncertainty over his presence at Easter and even the summer trip to Balmoral.
Meanwhile, Kate and William are already in Norfolk at their beloved Anmer Hall home ready to celebrate Christmas. Widely regarded as the family's favourite property, Anmer Hall was a wedding gift to the couple from the late Queen and is located a stone's throw from Sandringham House.
The current house is described as being of a late-Georgian design but it could have been built earlier around a pre-existing smaller house. King Edward VII bought Anmer Hall in 1898 from Ernest Terah Hooley. It had originally been the seat of the Coldham Family from 1705.
From 1972 to 1990 the house was leased to the Duke and Duchess of Kent. The house was rented by two other families in between the time before the next tenants moved in, notably the family of Hugh van Cutsem. The van Cutsem family have many strong ties with the royals and are often pictured together.
Large renovations were carried out including a new roof, a conservatory, new kitchen and a substantial tree-planting scheme to offer the Prince and Princess more privacy. The refurbishments totalled £1.5 million and was paid for using private Royal Family funds.
The family lived in Norfolk full time between 2015 and 2017 as Prince George was attending nursery nearby at the Westacre Montessori School.
The Wales family's main home is now Adelaide Cottage on the Windsor Estate which was previously the home to Princess Margaret's ex-fiancée Group Captain Peter Townsend. They also have access to Apartment 1A of Kensington Palace and to Tam-Na-Ghar cottage on the Balmoral Estate in Scotland.
