The Queen hosted her traditional pre-Christmas dinner at
Buckingham Palace on Wednesday for members of The Royal Family.
Senior royals and extended
members of Her Majesty’s family are invited to Her Majesty’s
Christmas dinner each year at Buckingham Palace – a rare occasion
where everybody gets together.
Among the first guests to arrive was the Duke of Edinburgh who
was followed by the Princess Royal and Sir Tim Laurence.
The Duke & Duchess of Cambridge arrived with Prince George and
Nanny Maria Borrallo in the backseat.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex smiled as they pulled into the
gates of Buckingham Palace for their Christmas meal.
This is Meghan’s second Christmas lunch with The Royal
Family.
The Prince of Wales
followed closely behind, as did Prince and Princess Michael of
Kent, The York Family the Wessex family.
The dinner, which has now become an annual occurrence, is held
for those members of the Royal Family who do not often get invited
to Sandringham on Christmas Day.
Her Majesty and The Duke of Edinburgh are expected to set off to
Sandringham within the next couple of days to start their Christmas
break.
Sandringham has been privately owned by the royal family since
1862 after it was purchased by Queen Victoria at the request of her
son and future King, Prince Edward.
It has remained close to the royal family since, and it is from
here where the Queen’s Christmas speech is broadcast. The topic and
issues raised in this year’s speech are not yet known.
Charlie Proctor has been a royal
correspondent for over a decade, and has provided his expertise to
countless organisations, including the BBC, CBC, and national and
international publications.