Among the 1600 guests were Zara Tindall and her husband, Mike Tindall, though Zara’s mother, Princess Anne, was absent.
The Princess Royal, often billed as the hardest-working member of the royal family, is fresh off a low-key, four-day visit to Australia.
She had attended the state banquet held at Windsor Castle on Wednesday night for German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, and his wife, Elke Büdenbender. Thursday was spent hosting the first investiture ceremony at St James’s Palace in more than four years.
Other royal guests of note included Princess Margaret’s daughter, Lady Sarah Chatto; Queen Elizabeth’s first cousin Prince Michael of Kent; Birgitte, the Duchess of Gloucester; and Lord Frederick Windsor.
Princess Catherine’s parents, Carole and Michael Middleton, also attended, as did her brother, James Middleton, and his wife, financial analyst Alizée Thevenet. Catherine’s sister, Pippa Matthews, did not attend.
Of the five Christmas carol services Catherine has hosted at Westminster Abbey, Charles and Camilla have attended only one – the 2022 concert, which was dedicated to the late Queen, who had died aged 96 three months earlier.
The Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Edward, has not attended any, though his wife, Sophie, has been at them all.
Considering recent events, it’s no surprise that Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and his ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, were not in attendance. The former Duke of York’s last remaining royal titles were stripped on Tuesday, and he is set to move out of Royal Lodge in Windsor in the first quarter of 2026.
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Although his daughters, Princess Beatrice, 37, and Princess Eugenie, 35, are not working royals and do not carry out official duties on behalf of Charles, it’s not unusual to see them at events like this.
Beatrice in particular has attended every Christmas concert since Catherine’s first in 2021. This year, both she and Eugenie were absent.
“Wish Bea and I could have been celebrating tonight with our family,” Eugenie wrote on her Instagram Story. She is the only family member who didn’t attend to publicly acknowledge their absence.
“Wishing [the Prince and Princess of Wales] such a special evening at her incredible carol service. What an amazing message of love and hope.”
There are 11 senior working royals in the British monarchy. Only five attended Catherine’s Christmas concert
- King Charles: No
- Queen Camilla: No
- William, Prince of Wales: Yes
- Catherine, Princess of Wales: Yes
- Anne, Princess Royal: No
- Prince Edward, Duke of Edinburgh: No
- Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh: Yes
- Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester: Yes
- Birgitte, Duchess of Gloucester: Yes
- Prince Edward, Duke of Kent: No
- Princess Alexandra: No
Had Beatrice and Eugenie attended, they would have, as does every guest of the service, received a letter from Catherine. This year’s note highlighted how a “moment of listening” and “word of comfort” can make a difference in the lives of others.
Catherine wrote: “At a time when life can sometimes feel fragmented or uncertain, the Christmas season invites us to remember the power of reaching out to one another with generosity of heart, understanding and hope.”
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