Around 70 members of the extended family are invited to the lunch, which traditionally takes place the week before Christmas and allows the monarch to celebrate with the many cousins, nieces and nephews he would not otherwise see.
Guests sit down for a Sandringham-bred turkey and all the trimmings, followed by Christmas pudding and accompanied by champagne and wines.There are crackers, jokes and party hats, although the royal children dine separately with their nannies.
Among others spotted arriving were the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh with their daughter, Lady Louise Windsor, the Princess Royal with her husband, Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence, the Duke of Kent, his daughter Lady Helen Taylor, and Lady Sarah Chatto, daughter of the late Princess Margaret, who was with her husband, Daniel.
Lord Freddie Windsor, was accompanied by his wife, Sophie Winkleman, their daughters and his sister, Lady Gabriella Kingston, who was widowed last year.
