King Charles hosted a number of royal family members at Buckingham Palace for a pre-Christmas lunch today – but William and Kate, along with their children, did not attend

The Prince and Princess of Wales surprised fans by skipping the pre-Christmas lunch at Buckingham Palace today.

The couple were expected to attend the annual celebration along with their three children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis. But just a short time before the luncheon was due to start, it was revealed that the family would be missing the event.

A royal source said that the family is already in Norfolk, as had been planned, and is looking forward to spending time with the rest of the royal family at Sandringham over Christmas. While beleaguered royal Prince Andrew was also absent, amid the ongoing furore over his relationship with alleged Chinese spy Yang Tengbo, his daughters Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie were both there.

William and Kate’s 2024 Christmas card, released this afternoon ( 
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Instagram)George, Charlotte, and Louis broke up for their Christmas holidays from Lambrook on 13 December and it is thought the Waleses family immediately travelled to Anmer Hall, their much-loved country retreat on the Sandringham estate in Norfolk. But the family’s absence from the Buckingham Palace lunch has nevertheless raised eyebrows – not least because, as a future monarch, William usually attends such big royal events – and has done so for a number of years.

However, a Kensington Palace source told the Telegraph: “The decision not to attend the lunch was made some time ago.” It also meant that the King didn’t have either of his sons with him at the Palace – although the Waleses will be celebrating Christmas with Charles and Queen Camilla just next week.

It had been speculated in some quarters that the couple’s decision was somehow linked to Prince Andrew and the furore surrounding his relationship with an alleged spy. But sources have been quick to shut that down, noting that Andrew has already decided to stay away from the event.

King Charles heads to Buckingham Palace today ( 
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PA)
But despite missing today’s party, the Waleses did release their Christmas card this afternoon, showing a sweet family snap. The image was taken from the video released by Kate in September when she announced her chemotherapy treatment had ended and her focus was “doing what I can to stay cancer-free”. In the picture, William and Kate are shown with their arms around their children Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Princess Louis.

In the video, the princess delivered a heartfelt message about her cancer journey, speaking over images showing the Waleses and their children enjoying the Norfolk countryside, walking through woods and the couple cuddling as they hold hands. She described the year to that point as “incredibly tough for us as a family” and how the “cancer journey is complex, scary and unpredictable for everyone”, with the experience giving her a “new perspective on everything”. The card has the message, “wishing you a very Happy Christmas and New Year”.

It comes as for the past two years, King Charles has held the pre-Christmas party at Windsor Castle but it has returned to be held at Buckingham Palace today, where the late Queen nearly always hosted the lunch. Earlier, the King was seen heading into 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.

Princess Beatrice arrives at Buckingham Palace today ( 
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PA)As previously revealed, Prince Andrew missed miss the event. The beleaguered royal will no longer join the party amid the ongoing furore over his relationship with alleged Chinese spy Yang Tengbo. However, his daughters Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie were both there. Pregnant Beatrice sat in the passenger seat while husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi drove them to the party, while Eugenie was also seen in a car with her husband Jack Brooksbank.

Also attending 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.

Princess Eugenie arrives to join the party ( 
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PA)Andrew has decided to stay away from the festivities this year in light of his latest scandal. It is understood it was his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson who advised him to keep a low-profile and stay away from the Palace soiree. Furthermore, the former couple have decided to remain at their home in Royal Lodge on Christmas Day, rather than travel to Sandringham with the rest of the family, to avoid further embarrassing the King.

It will be an especially poignant Christmas for the royal family, marking the the end of a highly challenging year for the family following Kate’s cancer diagnosis and subsequent chemotherapy treatment, as well as the King’s own ongoing cancer treatment.