Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie beamed as they drove together to join King Charles for Christmas lunch at Buckingham Palace.

They joined the Prince and Princess of Wales, who were seen arriving with their children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.

Pictured in the car, looking festive, Princess Eugenie donned a pair of white and red candy cane earrings, while Beatrice was behind the wheel.

The daughters smiled as they tried to move on from a turbulent year for their family amid the public downfall of their parents, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and Sarah Ferguson.

The occasion will no doubt be filled with emotion for the sisters, whose father, formerly known as Prince Andrew, will not be on the guest list and has been disinvited from the upcoming Christmas Day celebrations at Sandringham this year.

This comes after both the King's brother and his ex-wife have found themselves in more scandals surrounding their past friendship with the late convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.

While the lack of an invite may upset Andrew and Sarah, it also may not be a surprise for the pair, who were not at Sandringham on December 25 last year. This is because just weeks before the 2024 festive celebration, it was revealed that Andrew had been friends with an alleged Chinese spy - a friendship the duke claims he ended when suspicions about the businessman were first raised.

King Charles's lunch today is an opportunity for the monarch to bring together members of the extended family who won't necessarily be present on the Christmas Day celebrations at Sandringham.

The attendance comes as Beatrice and Eugenie previously missed Princess Catherine's Christmas carol concert earlier this month.

Ironically, given their decision to skip the event, the night's theme was togetherness. Per a release ahead of the service, it was revealed that Kate had taken inspiration this year for the carol service from the idea of bringing people together.

"As we approach the Christmas season, we are reminded of the power of togetherness," an official statement about the service read.

It continued: "The evening will highlight the transformative power of investing in one another with compassion, presence, and joy."