King Charles welcomed members of the Royal Family for a festive lunch at Windsor Castle, marking a precursor to their annual Sandringham celebrations in Norfolk.

This customary gathering, often held on the Wednesday preceding Christmas, brings together the wider Royal Family, offering a rare moment for collective connection before their transition to Norfolk. Although the event remains private, glimpses of family members arriving and departing from the palace grounds provide insights into attendees.

Among those seen were The Princess Royal, Mike and Zara Tindall, Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank, Prince and Princess Michael of Kent, Peter Philips, Princess Beatrice, Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, and The Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh with their daughter, Lady Louise. Notably, Louise made a considerable journey from St Andrews, where she studies English literature, to partake in the celebrations at the start of her Christmas break, as Scottish university terms differ from those in England.

This luncheon carries on a tradition established during Queen Elizabeth II's reign. Last year’s gathering was marked by the absence of the late Monarch, who had passed away in September, and the 2022 lunch was the family's first collective assembly since 2019 due to the pandemic. photo by Dan Marsh, Wikimedia commons.