Wednesday 18 December 2019

The Cambridges Attend The Queen's Pre-Christmas Luncheon & A Family Christmas Card

The Queen hosted her annual pre-Christmas luncheon at Buckingham Palace this afternoon. The calendar staple is an opportunity for the family to spend time together before they disperse for Christmas break. The Duchess of Cambridge arrived with Charlotte and Louis. The baby of the Cambridge family is growing so quickly, his hair looks darker since we last saw him. His resemblance to his mum remains unchanged though, the older Louis gets, the more he favours Kate.


I expect the Cambridges will travel to their country home Anmer Hall before the weekend. They will join the royal family at Sandringham once again this year. It's not confirmed, however there's growing speculation we may see George and Charlotte join their parents on the walk to church Christmas morning.


William and George arrived just before Kate, Charlotte and Louis.


The Queen hosts the fifty-strong luncheon on a Tuesday or Wednesday in December for the entire extended family, many of whom are spending Christmas with their own children and grandchildren rather than joining the annual gathering at Sandringham. I imagine the Queen is looking forward to departing for the estate this year. Since Prince Philip's retirement, he spends a great deal of his time on the royal estate in Norfolk. With the Queen's schedule, it means they don't spend as much time together. This year marked Kate's tenth consecutive appearance at the luncheon.


Prince Charles arriving.

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Zara and Mike Tindall (and a scene stealing moment from Mia).

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Princess Eugenie and her husband Jack Brooksbank.

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Princess Beatrice.

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The Cambridges all left the event together after the traditional meal.


A great shot of the Cambridge children leaving with their parents.


Louis was cute as a button in the Parsnip Fairisle Jumper by Amaia Kids (with thanks to Bojana). It's described as: "Cosy and beautiful forest green unisex cardigan with a stylish Fairisle ivory pattern around the neck, sleeve cuffs and waist. With round collar and crafted from warm cashmere, wool and merino blend, this piece is ideal for the festive season in style or any winter outing of your child. Mother of pearl buttons fastening down the front to finish off a polished both little boy's and girl's outfits."


Caroline Parr identified Charlotte's fabulous festive dress as the Little Alice London Nutcracker dress. We know the Princess adores ballet and last year Kate brought her to the Royal Opera House to watch a rehearsal of The Nutcracker.


Prince George wore a white shirt with blue trim, it looks very similar to the one he wore for Trooping The Colour.


The Duchess was festive in red tartan.


From what we can see, it appears Kate wore Emilia Wickstead's Anni Tartan dress. Due to limited photos, it may be a custom version of the piece (Kate's garment doesn't appear to have the wispy sleeves).


Elizabeth from Kate's Closet suggests it may be a custom blouse, designed to match the Pris Skirt Kate wore for an RAF Christmas party last year.


And accessorised with her Cassandra Goad Cavolfiore Pearl Stud Earrings. By the time they left the luncheon, Kate had removed them.


We also saw the much anticipated Cambridge Christmas card thanks to the RAF Air Cadets. Kate sent a card to Air Commodore Dawn McCafferty who shared it on social media.


The family posed on a vintage motorcycle with a sidecar. Similar to last years card, we see them outdoors in their country home. It was more than likely taken over the summer. It's a darling photo and great to see the tradition of a new family photo continuing. We should see it released via Kensington Palace shortly. I'll update the moment we have a high-res version.


Caroline identified Kate's dress as the sold out Boden Aurora Midi Wrap Dress. The blue print dress is described as: "This wrap midi dress is all about boho luxe, right down to the floaty tiered skirt, three-quarter-length sleeves and crinkle viscose fabric."


Are your plans for the festivities coming together? I'm very much looking forward to spending next week with family and hurriedly doing last minute shopping and wrapping in preparation. It's all part of the fun, right? :)

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