Though Prince William and Kate Middleton were absent from King Charles III’s annual Christmas luncheon on Thursday, the couple released their annual holiday card on their social media accounts. The card is a snowy animation featuring a family photo of the couple and their three children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis.
“Wishing you a very Happy Christmas and new year,” the card read. The photo was taken at Anmer Hall, the family’s country home on the Sandringham Estate, along with footage that was featured in an emotional video where Kate announced that she had completed her cancer treatment.
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According to People, the Prince and Princess of Wales missed the annual Buckingham Palace lunch because they had already traveled to Anmer Hall, about 100 miles away from London. The guest list at the Thursday luncheon included the king and Queen Camilla plus a number of extended family members who were photographed entering the palace grounds, including Prince Edward and Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh, Princess Eugenie and her husband Jack Brooksbank.
Earlier this week, Prince Andrew and his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson had decided against attending the royal family Christmas celebrations in Sandringham next week, reportedly to avoid distractions following recent news about his social ties to an alleged Chinese spy. The Daily Mail reported that the scandal also drove Andrew and Sarah also decided to skip the palace luncheon.
Since 2022, George, Charlotte, and Louis have been students at Lambrook School, which began its holiday break on December 13. During the academic year, the Wales family lives at Adelaide Cottage, a four-bedroom home near Windsor Castle, but they often spend school breaks at the country home, which was a wedding present from Queen Elizabeth II. Following Kate’s cancer diagnosis earlier this year, she and her husband put their primary focus on supporting their children.
“Life-threatening illnesses bring a reconsideration of priorities,” a royal source told People earlier this month. “She and William have always made it clear that family is the most important thing.”
