This year's annual royal family Christmas meal takes place amidst ongoing health concerns for King Charles and Queen Camilla, as well as scrutiny surrounding Prince Andrew's alleged links to a Chinese spy.
William and Kate were not the only couple to cancel their attendance, however, as Prince Andrew and his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson were also absent, presumably due to the former’s connection to an alleged Chinese spy. King Charles will welcome Prince Edward and his wife, Sophie, the Duchess of Edinburgh, who arrived at the Palace today (December 19). The meal also comes at a time when both monarchs have been recovering from serious illnesses: Charles from cancer, and Camilla from pneumonia.
This annual festive gathering, first established by the late Queen Elizabeth II, sees a large group of royal family members assemble at Buckingham Palace for a meal before moving their celebrations to Sandringham Estate, the family’s private country retreat. It’s expected that William and Kate will then join the rest of their family at Sandringham, and attend church together at St. Mary Magdalene. The event has drawn extra attention due to two issues affecting the royals. On one hand, both King Charles and Queen Camilla endured troublesome health diagnoses and have been limiting their public appearances as they recover. On the other, Prince Andrew continues to face scrutiny from British authorities, as his alleged ties to a Chinese spy are being investigated. The prince has been a controversial figure since 2019, when his friendship with disgraced sex offender Jeffrey Epstein surfaced. King Charles has been battling an undisclosed form of cancer since February 2024, causing a temporary pause in his public duties. The diagnosis caused the monarch to take a temporary pause in his duties after the news was shared in February. He resumed his public duties at the end of April, taking the chance to visit a cancer treatment center alongside Queen Camilla
ROYAL FAMILY KING CHARLES QUEEN CAMILLA PRINCE ANDREW CHRISTMAS
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