Who will be at the King’s Christmas dinner table? How Camilla’s family are among some 40 guests invited for the festive knees-up at Sandringham this year… as Harry and Meghan stay in US
Queen Camilla’s family will be among the 40 guests invited for Christmas dinner at Sandringham this year while Harry and Meghan are expected to stay in the US.
In a major break in Christmas tradition, senior members of the Royal Family will be joined by Camilla’s children, grandchildren and sister at Sandringham House in Norfolk for the festive celebrations.
This differs from previous years, which saw Camilla leave Sandringham in the afternoon to host Christmas dinner with her own family at Ray Mill, her home in Wiltshire.
Although no official guest list has been revealed, it is expected this year’s event will be bigger than ever, meaning Christmas lunch will be moved from the traditional dining room to the ballroom.
Queen Camilla’s son Tom, her daughter Laura, and their spouses are expected to be in attendance this year. The Queen’s five grandchildren – Lola, Freddy, Eliza and twins Gus and Louis – will also sit down for the Christmas meal.
Meanwhile, Prince Harry is set to remain in the US with Meghan and their two children Archie and Lilibet – despite recent hopes of a thaw in relations between King Charles and his youngest son.
it is expected this year’s Sandringham Christmas event will be bigger than ever
The future King and Queen pictured in 2022 with the then Duke and Duchess of Cambridge (Pictured: The Royals on Christmas Day last year)
Queen Camilla is thought to have invited her two children Tom Parker Bowles, 48, and Laura Lopes, 45, and her five grandchildren for Christmas at Sandringham for the first time (Pictured in 2018)
The Norfolk estate has been the location of the Royals’ Christmas celebrations for years
King Charles and Queen Camilla arrive for the Royal Family’s traditional Christmas Day service at St Mary Magdalene Church last year
Camilla’s family will join senior members of the Royal Family including Prince William and Princess Catherine and their three children Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis
The Sussexes even said they would accept an invitation to Sandringham this Christmas, it was reported.
King Charles is believed to be ‘very close’ to Camilla’s side of the family, with her three grandsons having been her pages at the Coronation, alongside her great-nephew.
Camilla’s relatives will join senior members of the Royal Family including Prince William and Princess Catherine and their three children Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.
Anne, Princess Royal and her husband Timothy Laurence are also expected to attend, alongside Anne’s son Peter Phillips and his daughters Savannah and Isla.
Anne’s daughter Zara Tindall and her husband Mike Tindall are also set to be there with their three children – Mia, Lena and Lucas.
Prince Edward, Duke of Edinburgh, his wife Sophie and their children Lady Louise Windsor and James, Earl of Wessex should also be present at the table – as well as Prince Andrew and his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson.
Princess Beatrice attended the event last year with her husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, his son Christopher and their daughter Sienna.
Princess Eugenie and her husband, Jack Brooksbank, will be there with their two young sons named August and Ernest.
Prince William and Princess Kate will join the King and Queen at Sandringham on December 25, alongside other senior royals
Princess Beatrice attends the Christmas Day service at St Mary Magdalene Church on December 25, 2022
The Duke of York attending the Christmas Day morning church service last year
Princess Charlotte and Prince George at the Christmas Day church service in Sandringham, Norfolk last year
Camilla’s sister, Annabel Ellio, will also be joining her sister at Sandringham House. She is one of the ‘Queen’s Companions’, formerly known as ‘Ladies in Waiting.’
Prince Andrew and his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson are believed to be staying ay Wood Farm on the Norfolk estate. Although she and Prince Andrew have been divorced since 1996, the pair remain firm friends and now jointly look after the late Queen’s Corgis, Muick and Sandy.
It is not confirmed if Fergie, who is carving out a new career for herself as an agony aunt after an entertaining stint on ITV’s This Morning, is definitely invited to Sandringham, but she will likely want to be with her grandchildren on the big day.
This year, Princess Eugenie and her husband, Jack Brooksbank, welcomed their second son Ernest into the world, who was born at the end of May.
It meant Fergie became a grandmother for the fourth time, as she also has a step-grandson, Wolfie Mapelli Mozzi, seven, granddaughter Sienna Mapelli Mozzi, two, and August Brooksbank, three.
The royal festivities will start when everyone arrives on Christmas Eve. The family will open presents, some of which are gag gifts – one of the Royal Family’s traditions.
The family will then attend services at Saint Mary Magdalene Church on Christmas morning – where crowds always gather to see the royals.
Once they get home Christmas lunch will be served, followed by afternoon games.
Last Christmas the royals experienced their biggest change for decades as they celebrated their first festive period without Queen Elizabeth II, who had passed away just a few months earlier.
