King Charles Is Making A Big Change For His First Christmas Lunch

The passing of the late Queen Elizabeth II and the related accession of His Majesty King Charles III to the British throne has, no doubt, brought change to the monarchy and its relationship with the British people and the world at large, per CNN and PBS NewsHour. 

It also has wrought a change to titles in the royal family household: Former HRH Duchess of Cornwall, Camilla Parker-Bowles is now Her Majesty The Queen Consort and will be addressed as Queen Camilla in daily conversation, according to The New York Times. From tweaks to their Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook profiles to foods the royal family will no longer be permitted to eat, the shifts will continue (via People).

But on a micro scale, the death of the matriarch has also led to speculation of existing traditions, such as staying at the Balmoral Castle in Scotland for the summer and, more importantly, where the holidays will be celebrated this year, per El Pais. 

The royal family has been spending Christmas at the Sandringham House since the rule of King George VI, the late Queen Elizabeth II's father, per El Pais. But today, King Charles III deviated from that longtime tradition and hosted his first annual pre-Christmas lunch at Windsor Castle, The Telegraph reports. 

Because of the pandemic in 2020, this annual lunch was moved to Windsor Castle, where Elizabeth was then quarantined with her husband, Prince Philip. It was also planned to take place in Windsor the following year but was canceled due to Omicron surge concerns, according to The Telegraph.

No one connected to the royal family is volunteering the reason behind the decision to have Christmas lunch at the Windsor again. Perhaps Charles is honoring his mother's COVID-related choice to host at Windsor since it continues to be a concern (via Centers for Disease Control and Prevention). It's also possibly a matter of convenience since he and Queen Camilla live part-time at the castle.