King Charles' Christmas Lunch Lays Bare The Royal Family's Fading Dynamic

While the sun may never set on the British Empire, it does appear to be going down on King Charles III's hold upon his family. In a tradition that was started by Queen Elizabeth II, pre-Christmas lunch held at Buckingham Palace was a way to make sure extended royal family members felt included, should they not make the smaller guest list for lunch on Christmas Day. Those who were able to make it to Charles' pre-Christmas lunch in 2024 were a much smaller batch than traditionally seen, leaving some insider sources to feel the family dynamic of the royals is crumbling.

Obviously, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were not in attendance as they are still nestling into their non-royal lives in California. Disgraced royal Prince Andrew was also decidedly absent from the luncheon as he is still embroiled in an international spy scandal among other shady dealings. The real surprise — and possible impolite snub — was that William, Prince of Wales and Catherine, Princess of Wales did not attend the event. 

A former courtier gossiped to the Daily Beast that this behavior by Prince William and Kate Middleton is "another example of the couple's growing confidence when it comes to challenging some long-established traditions which they are widely believed to consider tiresome." However, just because they skipped Charles' event doesn't necessarily mean the royal family is falling into dysfunction. Some believe it is simply Kate and William's desire to start the holiday season early at their home after having a real bruiser of a year.

For many, the holidays are a time of rest, relaxation, and visiting family. For the royal family, it's often riddled with public duties and hosting illustrious events. After the many tragic royal family moments of 2024, it appears William, Prince of Wales and Catherine, Princess of Wales simply wanted to start the restful part of the holiday season early. With Prince William casually feuding with Queen Camilla's son, and now the couple skipping the pre-Christmas luncheon, it would seem Kate Middleton and William are set on having a less traditional and more laid-back season.

Instead of attending the lunch, the royal couple made their way to Norfolk, where the rest of the royal inner circle will join them leading up to Christmas. According to the Daily Beast, William and Kate will be opting out of some of the more pompous events — although it seems William won't be able to get out of participating in the pheasant hunt — and will instead have a more laid-back gathering at their home on the Sandringham estate. Kate and William might be risking their reputation by not attending every event they normally would, but they do still plan to attend other events throughout the rest of 2024. Hopefully, the royal family can get back into the swing of things soon.