It’s long been a tradition for senior royals and their wider family to gather for a lunch hosted by King Charles III about a week before Christmas. Prince William, Kate Middleton, and their three children have long been mainstay figures at the event. But this year, the family was noticeably absent at the Dec. 20 event, and there’s poignant family reason why.
In 2022 and 2023 Charles held the luncheon in Windsor Castle but this year opted to have it at Buckingham Palace. He arrived at the palace first followed by Edward and Sophie, Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh. Queen Camilla arrived separately from her husband.
Meanwhile, other Royal appearances include Lord and Lady Frederick Windsor, Lady Gabriella Kingston, Princess Beatrice and her husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, Princess Eugenie and her husband Jack Brooksbank, Princess Anne with Sir Timothy Laurence, the Duke of Kent, Prince and Princess Michael of Kent, to name a few.
The real gossip was the absence of the Prince and Princess of Wales and their children, Princes George and Louis, and Princess Charlotte. Various reports claimed they were no longer in London by then and were already at their Norfolk home in Anmer Hall. It’s said that they’ve decided not to attend, leaving one to wonder what Charles may have felt then and if he was okay with their decision.
It’s said that the Prince and Princess of Wales wanted to start celebrating the holidays early in a laid back manner following what William described as a “brutal” year for both Kate and Charles with their cancer diagnosis. The couple reportedly wanted to kick off the holiday celebrations with their children at their home on the Sandringham estate, before they reunite with the rest of the Royals on Christmas Day.
A friend said that Kate wants to spend as much time with her children as possible now that she has finished her chemotherapy and is now cancer-free. “No one could have expected what this year has brought for the Prince and Princess of Wales. Family is so important to them, and the children are the center of their universe,” the pal said adding that the parents are “focused this Christmas on being with the family at home and then joining the rest of the Windsor family on Christmas Day. The Prince of Wales has said this has been the hardest year of his life.”
But the couple’s decision to skip Charles’ annual pre-Christmas lunch comes amid claims that they’re set to rebrand Royal Christmas practices. A former courtier who worked with William and Kate told The Daily Beast that they’ll host an informal “rival Christmas party” in Anmer Hall with her parents, Michael and Carole Middleton, in attendance.
The source likewise claimed that the Wales would likely take to social media to share moments from their family Christmas celebration saying: “A little social media of the family eating chocolate and watching TV would be a very effective way of showing how normal Christmas is at Anmer Hall compared to what we hear about at Sandringham.”
But despite skipping Charles’ pre-Christmas lunch, William, Kate, and their children are expected to join the rest of the Royals on Christmas Day. William has said that it will be a large and noisy gathering with 45 people all gathered in one room. The family is also due to take part in the morning walk to and from St. Mary Magdalene for the Christmas service.