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 were the Duke of Cambridge, alongside his eldest son Prince George, who sat next to him in the passenger seat of the car.
The Duchess of Cambridge followed behind, with Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis siting in the back. The young prince was dressed for the occasion, wearing a bright green Christmas jumper.
The Duke of York arrived at Buckingham Palace alone, just a few weeks after he was forced to step down from royal duties due to his controversial relationship with sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex missed Her Majesty’s Christmas dinner. They are spending the festive period in the United States with Meghan’s family.
The Prince of Wales & Duchess of Cornwall also attended the lunch, as did Prince and Princess Michael of Kent, the Wessex Family and Princess Anne & Sir Tim Laurence.
Newly engaged Princess Beatrice was also pictured arriving at the palace gates, as were the Duke & Duchess of Gloucester and a variety of other extended family members.
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 is expected to depart for Sandringham within the next couple of days to start her Christmas break.
This December is slightly busier than usual for Her Majesty, as she is required in Westminster on Thursday to open Parliament following the general election.
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.
