Duchess of Cambridge joins Prince William and extended Royals for pre-Christmas lunch
THE Duchess of Cambridge joined the extended Royal Family at their traditional pre-Christmas lunch at Buckingham Palace today.
Kate, who is less than 12 weeks pregnant and suffering from recurring bouts of acute morning sickness, was last to arrive for the gathering of about 40 family members hosted by the Queen.
She was driven in at high speed separately from Prince William to the delighted screams of female fans outside the palace.
It was her second Christmas lunch in two days. On Tuesday she and William went to their office party, joining a group of 27 staff at Bumpkin, a restaurant in Notting Hill, West London, where she. tucked into a traditional turkey meal but understandably stayed off the booze.
Her husband arrived with Princess Margaret's son Viscount Linley for today's lunch, which is attended by far more members of the family than gather at Sandringham each Christmas Day.
Among those attending today were Prince Charles and Camilla, who gave the crowd outside the palace a big smile, Andrew and his daughters Beatrice and Eugenie, Edward and Sophie and their children, the Duke of Kent - without his wife, the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, Princess Alexandra, and Prince and Princess Michael of Kent.
St James's Palace has still not said whether William and Kate, who spent three nights in hospital suffering from the acute morning sickness, will spend Christmas Day at Sandringham with the Queen.
Royal sources from outside their office have suggested that Kate will spend Christmas Day with her parents in Bucklebury, Berkshire but that remains to be seen.