Is King Charles Making a Major Change to This Royal Family Christmas Tradition?

King Charles could shake up a cherished Christmas tradition!

On December 16, Hello! reported that the king, 76, is changing the venue for the royal family’s traditional Christmas lunch, and will host the event at Buckingham Palace instead of Windsor Castle as he has done for the past two years. The British royal family is known to meet about a week before the Christmas holidays for a private family lunch, and it remains unclear why the monarch might host the event in London instead of Windsor.

Last year, Princess Anne, Sir Timothy Laurence, Prince Andrew, Princess Eugenie, Jack Brooksbank, Prince Edward, Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh, Lady Louise Windsor, Zara Tindall, Peter Phillips and other royals were seen driving around Windsor on the day of lunch, held on December 20. In a twist, Prince William, Kate Middleton and their three children, Prince George, 11, Princess Charlotte, 9, and Prince Louis, 6, weren’t caught coming or going — perhaps due to a particularly quick commute!

(left) Prince William and Kate Middleton in Paris in 2017; (Right) Adelaide Cottage in Windsor.

Pascal Le Segretain/Getty; MediaPunch/BACKGRID

King Charles is all smiles as he gets into the holiday spirit and decorates the Christmas tree

The Wales family moved to Adelaide Cottage at the sprawling Windsor Castle in 2022, moving from London so that William would be geographically closer to his grandmother Queen Elizabeth “in her final months,” Robert Jobson wrote in a biography. Catherine, Princess of Wales.

King Charles and Queen Camilla hosted a private family lunch together for the first time in December 2022, following his accession to the throne following the death of his mother aged 96 in September. The gathering represented a revival of tradition as the event had been canceled the previous two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

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It would be a poignant choice for King Charles to host the holiday lunch at Buckingham Palace, as it is where Queen Elizabeth has historically held the event. The Queen usually welcomed more than 50 family members to the lunch in London, which was held about a week before she went to Sandringham House in Norfolk for Christmas.

Queen Elizabeth II. photographed at Sandringham House to mark Accession Day, marking the start of Her Majesty's Platinum Jubilee Year, on 2 February 2022 in Sandringham, Norfolk

Queen Elizabeth photographed at Sandringham for Throne Day on February 2, 2022. Chris Jackson/Getty Prince William reveals rare details of royal family’s private Christmas party: ‘It’s going to be rowdy’

The British royal family has celebrated Christmas at Sandringham for generations, and Prince William and Princess Kate will celebrate the holiday there with the king after a difficult year in which both Kate and the king were treated for cancer. (The king’s diagnosis was announced in February and his treatment is understood to be ongoing, while Princess Kate announced in March that she had cancer and announced in September that she had completed chemotherapy.)

Several members of the royal family kicked off the holiday season by stepping out to support Princess Kate Together at Christmas Christmas carol service at Westminster Abbey on December 6, which King Charles and Queen Camilla skipped. The royal couple may have made the decision as a gesture of respect for the princess on her big night, where they would technically overshadow her in order of precedence as the oldest royals in attendance.

LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM - DECEMBER 6: (EMBARGOED ON PUBLICATION IN UK NEWSPAPERS UNTIL 24 HOURS AFTER THE CERTAIN DATE AND TIME) Catherine, Princess of Wales, accompanied by the Reverend Dr. David Hoyle, Dean of Westminster, attends the 'Together At Christmas' Carol Service at Westminster Abbey on December 6, 2024 in London, England. Led by the Princess of Wales and supported by the Royal Foundation, the theme of this year's 'Together At Christmas' service is the importance of love and empathy and how much we need each other, especially during the most difficult times of our lives. The service also highlights outstanding individuals from across the UK who have shown exceptional kindness, empathy and support within their communities. (Photo: Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images)

Kate Middleton arrives at the Together at Christmas concert on December 6, 2024.

Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty

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Looking ahead to the royal family’s most celebrated Christmas tradition — the walk to and from St. Mary Magdalene Church on the Sandringham estate — PEOPLE confirms that Prince Andrew and his family will not be attending the celebratory gathering hosted by the king.

Prince William, Prince of Wales, Prince Andrew, Duke of York, King Charles III, Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex and Anne, Princess Royal during the state funeral for Queen Elizabeth II at Westminster Abbey on September 19, 2022 in London, England

Prince Andrew and King Charles at Queen Elizabeth’s state funeral on September 19, 2022.

Patrick van Katwijk/Getty

PEOPLE knows the Duke of York, his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson, their daughters Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie and their young families will not be at the Christmas celebrations at Sandringham due to Andrew being closely watched to stay away amid reports of his alleged links to a suspected Chinese spy. The York family were expected to take part in tradition and stay at Wood Farm on the Sandringham estate for Christmas as they did last year, although plans have apparently changed.

It remains unclear whether Prince Andrew (who is no longer a member of the royal family) will join the royal family for the traditional Christmas lunch in light of the scandal, and Buckingham Palace had no comment.

Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education

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