Prince William and Princess Kate skip royal family private lunch after releasing Christmas card

The Prince and Princess of Wales have released their annual Christmas card after what the Price has described as “the hardest year of my life”.

An image taken from a video feature produced earlier in the year highlights the royal couple and their three children – Prince George, 11, Princess Charlotte, 9, and Prince George, 6.

“Wishing everyone a very happy Christmas,” the card read.

As 2024 draws to a close the card is a reminder of the battle the princess has had with cancer and her ongoing treatment that the Prince has described as “dreadful”.

“It’s been dreadful … It’s probably been the hardest year in my life,” Prince William told reporter.

“So, trying to get through everything else and keep everything on track has been really difficult.

“But I’m so proud of my wife, I’m proud of my father, for ­handling the things that they have done. But from a personal family point of view, it’s been, yeah, it’s been brutal.”

The Prince and Princess of Wales did not attend the royal family’s traditional pre-Christmas lunch at Buckingham Palace, the PA news agency reports.

A royal source said William and Kate were in Norfolk, as had been planned, and were looking forward to spending time with the rest of the royal family at Sandringham over Christmas.

The Buckingham Palace lunch is a private event for senior royals and their wider family who will not be attending Christmas celebrations at the King’s Norfolk home.

Earlier this week, Prince Andrew pulled out of the meal as he continues to be dogged by his links to an alleged Chinese spy.

Members of the family pictured arriving or leaving Buckingham Palace on Thursday included the King and Queen, the Princess Royal, the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh and Andrew’s daughters Princess Beatrice with her husband Edo Mapelli Mozzi, and Princess Eugenie with her husband Jack Brooksbank.

Also attending were Lord Frederick Windsor, his wife Sophie Winkleman and their daughter Isabella; the Duke of Kent; Prince and Princess Michael of Kent; the Earl of St Andrews; Lady Marina Windsor and Lady Amelia Windsor; Timothy Taylor, Lady Helen Taylor, Estella and Eloise Taylor; Lady Margarita Armstrong-Jones; and Lord Downpatrick.

They were joined by Countess Mountbatten of Burma Penelope Knatchbull; James and Julia Ogilvy; Lady Sarah Chatto and Daniel Chatto; Samuel Chatto; the Earl of Ulster and Lord Culloden; Flora and Timothy Vesterberg; Princess Alexandra; and Lady Davina Windsor.

William and Kate have been pictured arriving for the pre-Christmas lunch in some previous years, including 2018 and 2019.

The event was not held in 2020 or 2021 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Kate joined William and their children at Westminster Abbey for her annual Together At Christmas carol service earlier this month, in a gradual return to public events after completing her cancer treatment.

Andrew decided not to attend the gathering after speaking to his ex-wife and close friend Sarah, Duchess of York, according to a source.

The King’s brother had already withdrawn from joining senior royals at Sandringham for the festive period.

It was previously revealed in a High Court hearing that alleged Chinese spy Yang Tengbo, who was banned from the United Kingdom, was said to have been a “close” confidant of Andrew.

Yang, who was named after an anonymity order was lifted on Monday, has insisted it was “entirely untrue” to claim he was involved in espionage and that he has “done nothing wrong or unlawful”.

The businessman, previously referred to only as H6 in the legal case, was the founder-partner of the Chinese arm of the duke’s Pitch@Palace initiative, and twice visited Buckingham Palace in 2018 to meet the late Queen’s second son.

He is also said to have entered St James’ Palace and Windsor Castle at Andrew’s invitation.

On Friday, the duke’s office said Andrew “ceased all contact” with the then-unnamed businessman when concerns were first raised about him.

Andrew met Yang through “official channels” with “nothing of a sensitive nature ever discussed,” a statement said.

The duke, 64, has disappeared from public life since stepping down from official duties in 2019 following the furore over his friendship with late convicted US sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.