King Charles hosts family for Christmas lunch at Buckingham Palace as princesses Eugenie, Beatrice arrive without their father

Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie have joined King Charles, and the wider British royal family, for the monarch's pre-Christmas lunch at Buckingham Palace.

But Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson were absent from the annual festive gathering for the second year in a row.

The Prince and Princess of Wales were among the guests seen driving through the gates of the London residence on Tuesday.

Prince George, 12, Princess Charlotte, 10, and Prince Louis, seven, were photographed in the back seat of their parent's car.

Prince William and Catherine were absent from the lunch last year as they had already travelled to Norfolk in preparation for Christmas.

Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie's inclusion is being seen as a public show of support from King Charles, who has made it clear the recent actions taken against their parents has nothing to do with his affection for his nieces.

Andrew did not attend last year either, after being caught up in the Chinese spy scandal. A year later, the former prince is in the process of moving from his Windsor home, Royal Lodge, into a smaller property on the King's private Sandringham estate after being stripped of all his royal titles following anger over his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein.

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Earlier on Tuesday, he was photographed horse riding in Windsor Great Park.

The York sisters were seen driving together and smiling at the cameras, with Princess Eugenie wearing candy cane earrings.

The Wales family were seen arriving for the lunch, with Catherine wearing a black hair bow and a red dress by Alessandra Rich. Her earrings are by Van Cleef & Arpels.

Princess Charlotte wore burgundy and had a bow in her hair, like her mother's.

Other members of the King's family were in attendance including the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh and their daughter, Lady Louise Windsor, Princess Anne and her husband, Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence, the Duke of Kent and his daughter Lady Helen Taylor, and Lady Sarah Chatto, daughter of the late Princess Margaret, who was with her husband, Daniel.

Lord Frederick Windsor was joined by his wife, actress Sophie Winkleman, their daughters and his sister, Lady Gabriella Kingston, whose husband Thomas died last year.

The King's cousin, David Armstrong-Jones, the Earl of Snowdon, arrived at the palace on his bicycle wearing an orange hi-vis vest.

Other guests included Lady Amelia Windsor, who is the daughter of the Earl of St Andrews – the Duke of Kent's eldest son – and Flora Vesterberg, granddaughter of the late Elizabeth II's cousin, Princess Alexandra.

Every year the monarch invites around 70 members of the extended royal family to Buckingham Palace for lunch, allowing those to celebrate the festive season who otherwise cannot attend Christmas at Sandringham.

The royals' Christmas at Sandringham House, in Norfolk, is a much smaller affair.

Last year, Prince William and Kate, and their children, had already retreated to their country home, Anmer Hall, in preparation for Christmas with the King following a challenging 12 months which saw the princess diagnosed with cancer and undergo a course of preventative chemotherapy.

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