For decades, Queen Elizabeth hosted a pre-Christmas lunch for the extended royal family at Buckingham Palace. QEII timed the lunch for one of her final days in London before traveling to Sandringham, where she would stay through early February most years. QEII would invite all of the royal cousins and married-in relations so that the whole family was together, because most of those people were not invited to Sandringham. When King Charles took over in 2022, he decided to continue with the pre-Christmas lunch tradition, but he moved the event to Windsor Castle for the past two years. In both 2022 and 2023, Prince William and Kate skipped the lunch, even if it was just a hop, skip and jump away from Adelaide Cottage. I believe the excuse they use is that they head straight to Norfolk the second their kids’ school break starts, and they don’t see the need in choppering in for lunch? Well, in any case, this year, Charles will host the lunch at Buckingham Palace.
King Charles might be shaking up a cherished Christmas tradition! On Dec. 16, Hello! reported that the King, 76, is switching up the location of the royal family’s traditional Christmas lunch, and will host the event at Buckingham Palace instead of Windsor Castle as he has for the past two years. The British royal family is known to convene about a week before the Christmas holiday for a private family meal, and it remains unclear why the sovereign may be hosting the event in London instead of Windsor.
Last year, Princess Anne, Sir Timothy Laurence, Prince Andrew, Princess Eugenie, Jack Brooksbank, Prince Edward, Sophie, the Duchess of Edinburgh, Lady Louise Windsor, Zara Tindall, Peter Phillips and more royal family members were spotted driving around Windsor on the day of the lunch, held on Dec. 20. In a twist, Prince William, Kate Middleton and their three kids, Prince George, 11, Princess Charlotte, 9, and Prince Louis, 6, were not snapped arriving or departing — perhaps because of an especially quick commute!
It would be a poignant choice if King Charles hosts the holiday lunch at Buckingham Palace, as that’s where Queen Elizabeth historically held the event. The Queen typically welcomed over 50 family members to the lunch in London, which was held about a week before she headed to Sandringham House in the Norfolk countryside for Christmas.
Will and Kate were not photographed going to the lunch because they didn’t go to the lunch for two years in a row. It’s weird that no one can admit that or point out that the heir to the throne refuses to simply enjoy a lunch with his extended family. This is yet another example of Will and Kate refusing to even do the bare minimum. As for the switch back to Buckingham Palace… I wonder what it’s really about, because it’s clearly not about Will & Kate’s non-attendance. My guess is that the switch is more about Charles’s cancer treatment in London? Or maybe the cousins complained about having to schlep all the way to Windsor for lunch when most of them live in London.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images, Backgrid.
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- King Charles III and Queen Camilla attend Christmas Day service at St Mary Magdalene church, Sandringham, United Kingdom, on 25 December 2023.,Image: 832316980, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: *** NO UK USE FOR 48 HRS ***, Model Release: no, Credit line: Arthur Edwards / Avalon
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- King Charles III, Queen Camilla, Catherine, Princess of Wales, Princess Charlotte, Prince George, Prince Louis, and Prince William, Prince of Wales, attend Christmas Day service at St Mary Magdalene church, Sandringham, United Kingdom, on 25 December 2023.,Image: 832316985, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: *** NO UK USE FOR 48 HRS ***, Model Release: no, Credit line: Arthur Edwards / Avalon
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- King Charles III and Queen Camilla attend Christmas Day service at St Mary Magdalene church, Sandringham, United Kingdom, on 25 December 2023.,Image: 832317040, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: *** NO UK USE FOR 48 HRS ***, Model Release: no, Credit line: Arthur Edwards / Avalon
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- King Charles III and Queen Camilla attend Christmas Day service at St Mary Magdalene church, Sandringham, United Kingdom, on 25 December 2023.,Image: 832317050, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: *** NO UK USE FOR 48 HRS ***, Model Release: no, Credit line: Arthur Edwards / Avalon
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- Sandringham, UNITED KINGDOM – Members of the Royal Family attend Christmas Day service at St Mary Magdalene Church in Sandringham, Norfolk. Pictured: King Charles III and Queen Camilla BACKGRID USA 25 DECEMBER 2023 USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
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- Members of the British Royal Family attend the Christmas Day service at Sandringham Featuring: King Charles III, Queen Camilla Where: Sandringham, Norfolk, United Kingdom When: 25 Dec 2023 Credit: Cover Images
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- Copyright of the photograph featured on the card is held between Buckingham Palace and Millie Pilkington. Publications are asked to credit © Photograph by Millie Pilkington for Buckingham Palace. Copyright of the photo of the card itself belongs to PA. Publications are asked to credit © Buckingham Palace/Millie Pilkington/PA. The photograph of the Christmas card is being made available through PA Media on condition that: The photograph should be solely used for news editorial purposes only. It is not approved for use on souvenirs, or memorabilia; or anything similar. No charge should be made for the supply, release or publication of the photograph. There shall be no commercial use whatsoever of the photograph. The photograph must not be digitally enhanced, manipulated or modified in any manner or form and must include all of the individuals when published. The photograph shall not be used after 31st January 2024 without prior permission from Buckingham Palace The 2024 Christmas card of King Charles III and Queen Camilla in front of a Christmas tree at Buckingham Palace in London. The photograph was taken in the gardens of Buckingham Palace by Millie Pilkington. Featuring: King Charles III, Queen Camilla Where: London, United Kingdom When: 05 Dec 2024 Credit: Buckingham Palace/Millie Pilkington/PA **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**
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- King Charles III attends The King’s Foundation’s annual Crafts at Christmas event at Highgrove Gardens Featuring: King Charles III Where: Tetbury, United Kingdom When: 13 Dec 2024 Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**
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- King Charles III speaks with students as he sees the work they have produced and hears more about their experiences of studying during The King’s Foundation’s annual Crafts at Christmas event at Highgrove Gardens Featuring: King Charles III Where: Tetbury, United Kingdom When: 13 Dec 2024 Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**
Must be a rather drab luncheon imo
Their entire holiday season sounds miserable. So many machinations, so much plotting. There is no talk of family, of simply being together. It’s all about who they get to hurt, who they get to exclude, whether someone will “work” by showing up to a lunch. Misery all around.
When William and Kate step up to bat, there will be no more traditional lunches, not even with a small l. They just are too busy to be bothered.
I could see there still being a lunch but the hosts just might not attend it.
I can see the lunch just being the Middletons.
😂 are the Middletons just the next Parker-Bowles or I am reducing it too much? Each family is its own unique self of tabloid-attention seekers and manipulators. As are the Windsors really
Yes but busy doing…what?
Will probably have a dinner with the Tindalls, thats it.
As I said on the previous post, I think the luncheon was moved back to BP so the press has better access to the family i.e. better photos that they can publish in their papers.
They press haven’t been getting much lately so that makes sense. It’s like throwing them a bone. It will also make it noticeable then about who doesn’t show up.
I was thinking that the trip to BP from KP would be less arduous for some of the Late Queen’s elderly cousins, than it would be to drive out to Windsor Castle.
I thought that the Christmas lunch was being held at Windsor because of the renovation being done at BP but now that the renovations are completed in that area, it’s back to BP.
That was my thinking, too. The renovations must be completed.
He’s “shaking up a cherished tradition” by….moving the lunch back to where it was before 2022??? That Charles, such a shaker!!! lol.
I think this is about general convenience for most of the guests and press pictures. And if Charles goes straight to sandringham from London it makes sense from that perspective as well.
Yes, that was a bit of non-sense
I just saw a piece saying William and Kate may kit attend the pre-Christmas lunch at all because it hinders their plans to go straight to Norfolk/Anmer from Windsor’. Another year and another excise. They have drivers. helicopters, and a team of staff to make it happen if they really wanted to go to BP and then.Norfolk. This is such nonsense.
If Charles is staying more at Clarence House than Windsor Castle, the BP location works better for him too. But I also suspect the BP renovation being complete in that area is apart of this too.
don’t the English people get tired of the endless valorisation of this insufferable, shallow, dull, boring bunch of inbreds?
They should be.. good grief these people make up stories out of nothing and there are boring as hell.
Not yet!