King Charles III and Queen Camilla were photographed arriving at Buckingham Palace on Thursday for the royal family’s annual pre-Christmas lunch, while Prince William and Kate Middleton were MIA.
The King and Queen appear to have arrived in separate cars as they each made their way through the palace gates, which, while being the official residence of the British monarch, is not where Charles and Camilla live. The King and Queen instead reside at Clarence House — a stone’s throw away from Buckingham Palace — where they lived before Charles ascended the throne.
Camilla was all smiles as she waved to the cameras, and onlookers gathered to catch a glimpse of the royals.
For the last two years, King Charles hosted the pre-Christmas luncheon at Windsor Castle. His mother, the late Queen Elizabeth II, traditionally chose Buckingham Palace as the venue for the luncheon, attended by 70 or so guests.
This year marks the first in Charles’ reign that the luncheon returned to the palace.
Notably absent from the festive gathering were Prince William, 42, Kate Middleton, 42, and their children, Prince George, 11, Princess Charlotte, 9, and Prince Louis, 6.
On Thursday, it was revealed that the Prince and Princess of Wales would be skipping the luncheon, opting to spend the beginning of the Christmas holiday with their children at Anmer Hall — the couple’s Anglesey home in Norfolk, England.
Though MIA at the palace, William and Catherine (as she is officially known) fed royal fans a bit of holiday cheer, releasing their annual Christmas card. The seasonal greeting featured a photo of the royals and their three children taken from Kate’s September video announcing she is cancer-free.
The princess revealed in March that she had cancer and was undergoing a round of preventative chemotherapy.
The Waleses will, however, join the royal family for their Christmas day celebrations at the King’s Norfolk estate in Sandringham, which should include about 45 guests. William, Kate and their kids are also expected to walk with Charles, Camilla and other royals to a Christmas morning church service.
Prince Andrew’s daughters, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, were also photographed arriving at the luncheon, each driven in by their husbands — Mapelli Mozzi and Jack Brooksbank respectively.
Andrew was absent from the lunch, opting to skip the event as he faces yet another scandal — this one centered on his friendship and possible business dealings with a man accused of being a Chinese spy.
Andrew’s ex-wife and mother to Beatrice and Eugenie, Sarah Ferguson (aka the Duchess of York), also RSVP’d “no,” spending the day with Andrew instead as she continues to stand by his side as he battles his latest controversy.
Though divorced, Andrew and Sarah maintain a close relationship and live together at the Duke’s Windsor estate, Royal Lodge, the property Charles has unsuccessfully attempted to evict him from.
Royal Lodge will host Andrew and Sarah’s Christmas day celebration, as the pair decided to skip the King’s private family gathering at Sandringham — a move also motivated by the new allegations surrounding the Duke.
Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie will spend Christmas Day with their families, as will Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, who will mark the holiday at home in Montecito, Calif.
