Quelle surprise, the Prince and Princess of Wales are not going to today’s pre-Christmas lunch at Buckingham Palace. I figured as much when all of the reporting started this week about the lunch. In 2022 and 2023, King Charles switched up his mother’s long-standing habit of hosting the lunch at Buckingham Palace. Charles hosted it at Windsor Castle, and the lunch was well-attended, although I still believe that William and Kate skipped the lunch in 2022 and 2023. There was no reporting about their absence, probably because most people assumed that since they “live” at Adelaide Cottage, it would have been easy enough for them to slip into the castle. They did not – they were already in Norfolk in 2022 and 2023. That’s where they are right now, and they’re not taking the helicopter back to London for today’s lunch.
The Prince and Princess of Wales will not join the rest of the Royal family for its traditional pre-Christmas lunch at Buckingham Palace today. 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.
It comes after Prince Andrew pulled out of the lunch, a highlight in the royal calendar, after becoming embroiled in a scandal over an alleged Chinese spy.
“It is thought to be the first time the Waleses have opted not to join the wider family at the annual event.” I swear it isn’t the first time. It’s the third time by my count, although it’s possible they also skipped a few lunches when QEII was alive. I’ve believed for years that William and Kate aren’t very popular within the family, and I would honestly imagine that the wider family will probably enjoy the lunch more in the Waleses’ absence. That being said, it’s yet another thing that William refuses to do. When Charles was Prince of Wales, he believed (correctly) that it was his duty and responsibility to always attend these kinds of family events.
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