Why Kate Middleton and Prince William didn’t attend King Charles’ Christmas dinner

King Charles kicks off the Christmas festivities with his annual pre-Christmas palace dinner, but not everyone will be in attendance.

People are aware that Kate Middleton, Prince William and their three children, Prince George, 11, Princess Charlotte, 9, and Prince Louis, 6, will not be attending this year’s celebrations.

The Prince and Princess of Wales were never expected to attend lunch at Buckingham Palace on Thursday, December 19. The couple and their children are already more than 100 miles from London in Norfolk, England, ahead of the royal family’s private Christmas celebrations at the Sandringham Estate.

It’s clear to people that William and Kate are, as usual, looking forward to meeting their family at Sandringham over Christmas.

While Kate and William may not have attended the celebrations, Charles, 76, still hosted several members of the royal family for Christmas dinner, including his younger brother Prince Edward and his wife Sophie, the Duchess of Edinburgh, who were spotted arriving in Buckingham Palace on Thursday.

Charles’ brother Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson canceled their Christmas dinner appearance following backlash over the Duke of York’s suspected connection to an alleged Chinese “spy”.

PEOPLE understands the Duke of York, 64, made the decision after discussing the matter with his ex-wife, the Duchess of York, who convinced him it was the right move. The same goes for Prince Andrew’s decision to skip the royal family’s Christmas meeting at Sandringham next week on December 25th.

Royal biographer Ingrid Seward tells PEOPLE that Andrew will also have discussed things with his daughters, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, who are protective and loyal to him.

“Despite (the Duchess’s) past missteps, she knows how things will develop in society. She would tell him it was best to stay away. And Beatrice would have supported her,” says Seward.

Prince Andrew and Ferguson, popularly known as Fergie, divorced in 1996 after a decade of marriage but remain close to this day and continue to live at the Royal Lodge in Windsor.

The Royal Christmas Dinner is a private family gathering and a tradition that King Charles has carried on since the reign of his late mother Queen Elizabeth. Dozens of family members gather at Buckingham Palace in London for a joyful holiday meal about a week before Christmas. From there, the late Queen made her way to Sandringham House, her private estate in the Norfolk countryside, and walked to the church at St Mary Magdalene on Christmas Day with her family in tow.

The royal family’s Christmas plans have come under scrutiny this year amid controversy over Andrew’s alleged links to the “spy” scandal. Charles’ younger brother has been in the spotlight since December 13, when it was revealed that he allegedly had close professional ties with a Chinese national who was allegedly a spy. The story made headlines when a British court upheld an existing decision to ban the man from the UK on national security grounds following a special immigration investigation, while also drawing attention to his alleged relationship with Andrew.

British newspaper The times reported that the 50-year-old businessman had been appointed a “business adviser” by Andrew and was promised access to the highest levels of the royal family “in what appears to be a serious breach of national security.”

The businessman – originally only codenamed H6 and later named Yang Tengbo (also known as Chris Yang) on ​​December 16 – became a close confidant of King Charles’ brother and reportedly gained “an unusual level of trust” from the royal family . reported the BBC.

Yang denied any wrongdoing in a statement shared by the BBC, and Buckingham Palace had no comment as Andrew is not a working royal.

The Duke of York was forced to resign from his public duties following his bomb blast News evening November 2019 interview about his alleged connection to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, who died in prison while awaiting trial.

Andrew has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing, and his departure from royal duties became official when Queen Elizabeth stripped him of his military titles and patronages in January 2022 as part of Virginia Roberts Giuffre’s sexual assault civil lawsuit. An out-of-court settlement was reached in February for an undisclosed amount.

Looking ahead to the royal family’s Christmas plans on December 25, people are assuming that Prince Andrew, Fergie, Princess Beatrice, Princess Eugenie and their respective families will not join King Charles at Sandringham because of the spy scandal. Although Andrew has not held a royal role for years, he continues to accompany his family at major ceremonies and holiday celebrations.

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It was widely expected that the York family would stay at Wood Farm on the Sandringham estate over Christmas like last year, but plans have apparently changed.

People know that Beatrice, 36, and Eugenie, 34, had invitations to spend Christmas with their respective in-laws some time ago and decided to do so. Her visit to Sandringham was questionable, an insider says, while her parents are likely to keep a low profile at the Royal Lodge, their home in the grounds of Windsor Castle.

Dive into royal holiday traditions with the special edition of PEOPLE: Christmas at the Palace: A Royal Family Album.