King Charles Reportedly Making Big Change to Royal Christmas Tradition

The British royal family’s Christmas festivities will look a little different this year. After hosting the traditional Christmas lunch at Windsor Castle for the past two years, King Charles has reportedly shaken things up by switching the location to Buckingham Palace. Hello! reported the shake up in a Dec. 16 report, but it remains unclear why the 76-year-old monarch is making the reported change.

The location switch will bring things back to normal, as Queen Elizabeth historically hosted the holiday lunch at Buckingham Palace throughout her reign. When Charles and his wife Queen Camilla first began hosting the Christmas lunch in December 2022 following his ascension and after the event had been canceled the two years amid the COVID-19 pandemic, they moved the celebrations to Windsor Castle.

A beloved tradition that typically takes place about a week before Christmas Day, the pre-Christmas lunch brings together dozens of members of the royal family. The Times reported that approximately 70 people have been invited to this year’s festivities, and it is believed that the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh, the Princess Royal, Mike and Zara Tindall, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie and their families will likely attend. However, there are some big names missing from the guest list.

Prince Andrew reportedly will not attend the royal tradition, royal sources revealed, per the BBC. The news comes after sources claimed Andrew, who has faced controversy over his links with an alleged Chinese spy, was urged to “recognise his residual duty to the crown” by withdrawing from public appearances alongside the royal family.

Prince William and Kate Middleton also aren’t on the guest list, as they and their three children – Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis – have already retreated to their Norfolk home, Anmer Hall, for the school holidays. The family will, however, reunite with the royals at Sandringham, where the family has celebrated the holiday for generations, over Christmas, a Kensington Palace source said. It’s likely the family will join the royals on the traditional walk to and from St. Mary Magdalene Church on the Sandringham estate. PEOPLE reported that Prince Andrew, his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson, their daughters Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, and their families will not attend the Sandringham Christmas celebrations.

This year’s Christmas celebrations follow a difficult year for the British royals after both the king and the Princess of Wales publicly revealed their cancer diagnosis. Kate revealed in September that she had completed chemotherapy and was cancer-free.