Kate’s tender smiles for Charlotte: Waleses dazzle at Sandringham with King Charles, Queen Camilla, Eugenie and Beatrice – as Andrew Mountbatten Windsor and Sarah Ferguson stay away

The Princess of Wales delighted well-wishers with a tender smile on Christmas Day at Sandringham as King Charles, Queen Camilla and other senior royals waved to adoring crowds gathered outside.

William and Kate were joined by their children Prince George, 12, Princess Charlotte, 10, and Prince Louis, seven. 

The Princess of Wales dazzled in an autumnal brown tweed jacket complemented by a silk scarf and designer hat.

Camilla wore a festively red overcoat and stylish hat as she walked alongside a smiling King Charles on a sunny but bitingly fresh Thursday morning as she led members of the family to St Mary Magdalene Church.

Andrew Mountbatten Windsor and Sarah Ferguson were absent from the festivities – though Princess Beatrice and her sister Eugenie made a surprise appearance.

It is not likely to have come as a surprise as the pair missed out on an invitation by the King to spend Christmas at the royal Norfolk estate for a second year in a row.

The royals attended an hour-long service at the church before gathering together to attend a lunch hosted by the monarch. 

Hundreds of fans were also delighted to see the King’s nieces, Beatrice and Eugenie arriving at the family gathering, despite their parents not being in attendance and amid rumours they would celebrate Christmas elsewhere this year.

The King’s younger brother Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and former wife Sarah Ferguson are off the guest list after becoming mired in scandal following revelations about their involvement with paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein.

The hope of catching a glimpse of the youngsters on their walk to church is a major draw for royal fans who gather close to the church in Sandringham every year. 

Other family members seen on the walk include the King’s other brother Prince Edward with his wife Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh, son James Viscount Severn, 17, and daughter Lady Louise, 22.

Meanwhile Princess Anne and her husband Vice Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence are on the guest list, alongside daughter Zara and son-in-law Mike Tindall and their three children Mia, 11, Lena, seven, and Lucas, four.

Anne’s son Peter Phillips will also attend with his two daughters Savannah and Isla.

Earlier this year, Peter announced his engagement to girlfriend Harriet Sperling. 

Now the rule that only married couples can attend has been relaxed, it’s very likely she too has been asked by King Charles to join the family. She has already met the King and Queen and members of the wider family at events such as Royal Ascot. 

As the family left the service afterwards, Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, Beatrice’s husband, wished members of the Press a merry Christmas. 

The royals were watched on by a 500-strong crowd of fans, some of whom had been queuing for hours to catch a glimpse of the family. 

Some offered gifts of Christmas selection boxes, soft toys and bouquets of flowers to the Prince and Princess of Wales.

First in the queue outside Sandringham’s War Memorial gates was 70-year-old John Loughrey, who secured his place at 9pm last night.

Mr Loughrey, from Wandsworth, south west London, spent the night sat on a fold-up chair outside the gates and said: ‘It was cold but I had heat pads inside my jumper and hand warmers.

‘There’s something special about sharing Christmas Day with the royals at Sandringham.’

Mr Loughrey came armed with a portrait he painted of himself, which he hoped to pass on to Prince William.

‘I have met him [many] times before,’ Mr Loughrey said.

‘I last saw William at the Centrepoint homeless charity a few weeks ago and told him I would bring a special gift for him to Sandringham.’

A few people behind Mr Loughrey in the queue were American husband and wife Margie and Jeff Brooks, their daughter Elizabeth Brooks, 29, and her husband Caleb Brewer, 30.

Mrs Brooks, 62, from Fort Worth, Texas, said: ‘This is the centrepiece of our week-long holiday.

‘We came up from London yesterday and go back there this afternoon.

‘We all like the royals, especially [our daughter] Elizabeth’.

The 29-year-old was dressed under layers and in a bobble hat as she struggled to keep warm, but said: ‘Apparently its 80 degrees (Fahrenheit – 26.6C) back home, but I wouldn’t miss this.’

Mr Brooks, 63, said: ‘I went to London for Charles and Diana’s wedding in 1981 because I was studying in Oxford at the time.’

Also in the queue were royal watchers from Israel and also Canada.

Noele Fowler, 65, and husband David, 66, were treating their daughter Jackie, 35, to a trip to Sandringham for her Christmas present.

The family, from Toronto, Ontario, are spending a week in the UK and have combined 48 hours in Norfolk with visiting relatives in Guildford, Surrey.

Jackie said: ‘I’ve always been interested in royal history, starting with the Tudors. This is such a treat to be here.’

Miroslav Kyovbashev, 49, and wife Evelina, 44, travelled from nearby King’s Lynn to see the Royal Family with son Philip, aged six.

Bulgarian Mr Kyovbashev said: ‘We’ve lived in the UK for 20 years and come here every year. We don’t have anything like this in Bulgaria.’

Dane Tina Thun, 56, who lives in Wereham, Norfolk, attended with her sister-in-law Dorthe Dreijr, 52, who was visiting from Copenhagen.

Mrs Thun said: ‘It was nice to be here, but we struggled to get a good view of them -they need to put in tiered seating like they have at the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo!’

Among those not attending this year are Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and Sarah Ferguson, who have been told they are not welcome at celebrations after a drip-feed of revelations about their involvement with paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein.

It will be the second year running that the King’s brother and his ex-wife have not attended. Last year, they pulled out of the celebrations just 10 days before Christmas after Andrew’s links to alleged Chinese spy, Yang Tengbo, came to light.

The former couple will spend one last Christmas hunkered down at the Royal Lodge, which they will vacate at some point next year.