Who Attended King Charles’ Annual Christmas Lunch? Some Surprise Guests Were in Attendance

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• King Charles hosted his pre-Christmas Palace lunch on December 16 at Buckingham Palace.
• Prince William, Kate Middleton, and their three children attended, despite rumors the Wales family wouldn’t be there.
• Princesses Eugenie and Beatrice were also present, though their father notably did not attend.

On December 16, King Charles hosted his pre-Christmas Palace lunch at Buckingham Palace, and—despite rumors of “nonstop disagreements” within the royal family—more guests were in attendance than expected. For instance, the entire Wales family—including Prince William, Kate Middleton, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, Prince Louis, and even their nanny, Maria Teresa Turrion Borrallo—all showed up, despite it being previously reported that they were “not expected for lunch at the big house.”

Also in attendance were the York sisters, Princess Eugenie and Princess Beatrice, who were recently a no-show at Kate’s annual Christmas carol concert. According to People, other confirmed guests included Jack Brooksbank, Prince Edward, Lady Sarah Chatto, and Sophie, the Duchess of Edinburgh, among others.

Max Mumby/Indigo//Getty Images

Despite rumors that Charles had invited his disgraced brother, ex-prince Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, to the Christmas lunch (per Rob Shuter’s #Shuterscoop), he didn’t end up joining his daughters at the Palace. Instead, he was photographed “riding his horse in the pouring rain” while the luncheon took place (and you can see the pics obtained by the Daily Mail right this way).

This year’s Christmas lunch may have been (relatively) drama-free, but as you might recall, there was a bit of drama with last year’s luncheon. In a surprise move, the Waleses skipped the event, as they were reportedly already in Norfolk enjoying time at their country home, Anmer Hall.

Was it a “coup” (as some believed) or a totally innocent scheduling error? The world may never know!

And with Christmas right around the corner, you can expect more royal drama to come. From Eugenie and Beatrice’s rumored dilemma over where to spend the holidays to reports of Charles preparing for this Christmas to be “his last,” things seem...a bit complicated!

We’ll have to wait and see what goes down at Sandringham next week.