The Prince and Princess of Wales have skipped the royal family’s traditional pre-Christmas lunch at Buckingham Palace.

A royal source said William and Kate were already in Norfolk – as had been planned – and were looking forward to spending time with the rest of the royal family at Sandringham over Christmas.

The Buckingham Palace lunch is a private event for senior royals and their wider family who will not be at Christmas celebrations at the King’s Norfolk home.

Earlier this week, Prince Andrew pulled out of the meal as he continues to be dogged by his links to an alleged Chinese spy.

Members of the family pictured arriving or leaving Buckingham Palace on Thursday (UK time) included the King and Queen, the Princess Royal, the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh and Andrew’s daughters Princess Beatrice with her husband Edo Mapelli Mozzi, and Princess Eugenie with her husband Jack Brooksbank.

Also there were Lord Frederick Windsor, his wife Sophie Winkleman and their daughter Isabella; the Duke of Kent; Prince and Princess Michael of Kent; the Earl of St Andrews; Lady Marina Windsor and Lady Amelia Windsor; Timothy Taylor, Lady Helen Taylor, Estella and Eloise Taylor; Lady Margarita Armstrong-Jones; and Lord Downpatrick.

They were joined by Countess Mountbatten of Burma Penelope Knatchbull; James and Julia Ogilvy; Lady Sarah Chatto and Daniel Chatto; Samuel Chatto; the Earl of Ulster and Lord Culloden; Flora and Timothy Vesterberg; Princess Alexandra; and Lady Davina Windsor.

Princess Beatrice and her husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi arrive for the King’s Christmas lunch. Photo: AAP

William and Kate have been seen arriving for the pre-Christmas lunch in earlier years, including 2018 and 2019.

The event was not held in 2020 or 2021 because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Elsewhere, the Waleses’ released their traditional family Christmas card late on Thursday.

It features a snap from the video released by Kate and William in September to announce the princess had finished months of chemotherapy for an undisclosed form of cancer.

The picture is a relaxed summertime shot of the prince and princess with their three children, George, Charlotte and Louis.

It follows the release earlier this week of a Christmas card from William’s estranged brother, Prince Harry, and his wife, Meghan Markle. The California-based Sussexes’ card showed a montage from their year – including a rare image of Harry and Meghan’s two young children, Archie and Lilibet.

Harry and Meghan’s card included a rare snap of their children. Photo: Archewell

Prince Andrew’s troubles

The Duke of York reportedly decided to skip lunch with the extended family after talking to his ex-wife and close friend Sarah, Duchess of York.

The King’s brother had already withdrawn from joining senior royals at Sandringham for the festive period.

It was previously revealed in a High Court hearing that alleged Chinese spy Yang Tengbo, who has been banned from Britain, was said to have been a “close” confidant of Andrew.

Yang, who was named after an anonymity order was lifted on Monday (local time), has insisted it was “entirely untrue” to claim he was involved in espionage and that he has “done nothing wrong or unlawful”.

The businessman, referred to only as H6 in the legal case, was the founder-partner of the Chinese arm of the duke’s Pitch@Palace initiative. He twice visited Buckingham Palace in 2018 to meet the late queen’s second son.

He is also said to have been at St James’ Palace and Windsor Castle at Andrew’s invitation.

On Friday, the duke’s office said he “ceased all contact” with the then-unnamed businessman when concerns were first raised about him.

Andrew met Yang (who is also known as Christopher) through “official channels” with “nothing of a sensitive nature ever discussed”, a statement said.

The duke, 64, has disappeared from public life since stepping down from official duties in 2019 following the furore over his friendship with late convicted US sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

-with AAP