Princess Eugenie issued a statement after she skipped tonight's Christmas carol service spearheaded by the Princess of Wales.

The princess took to Instagram to say she and her sister "wished" they could have been there last night.

Resharing a picture of the Order of Service an hour after the event concluded, she wrote: "Wish Bea and I could have been celebrating tonight with our family. Wishing the Princess of Wales such a special evening at her incredible carol service. What an amazing message of love and hope."

She did not explain why the sisters, daughters of the disgraced Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and Sarah Ferguson, did not attend the service this evening. They usually attend with their families.

It is understood that they were invited but couldn't attend.

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