London - Perhaps they had eaten a bit too much during a family Christmas lunch at Gan Gan’s.
The little Cambridges looked rather sombre on Wednesday as they left Buckingham Palace after enjoying turkey and all the trimmings.
Prince George, six, Princess Charlotte, four, and Prince Louis, 19 months, seemed tired and subdued as they returned by car to Kensington Palace with their parents after visiting the Queen – or Gan Gan, as they call her.
They had managed a much happier pose for the family’s annual Christmas card, which was leaked on social media on Wednesday. It shows the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and their children looking tanned and relaxed on their summer holidays.
Kate, wearing a £120 (about R2 200) floral Boden dress and with her hair curly and loose, holds the handle of a vintage motorcycle.
The 2019 Cambridge Family Christmas Card!
— Kate ❤ and The British Royal Family 👑 (@KateCandMeg) December 18, 2019
📷: Air Commodore Dawn McCafferty CBE RAFR pic.twitter.com/2lbg2hMUsl
William – a bike enthusiast – is sitting on it holding Louis, all blond hair and dungarees. A barefoot George, in shorts and a T-shirt, stands on the sidecar with Charlotte, in a blue gingham sleeveless sundress.
It is not clear where the picture was taken or who owns the bike, which appears to be a Rickman Metisse.
This year’s Cambridge Christmas family portrait was posted on Twitter by Air Commodore Dawn McCafferty CBE, Commandant Air Cadets. Members of the Royal Family send cards privately to charities and organisations with whom they have links – and Kate 37, has been patron of the RAF Air Cadets since 2016.
The social media post showed the message inside the card: Wishing you a very Happy Christmas and New Year. It was signed "Catherine" in black pen.
The Queen’s annual lunch at Buckingham Palace is a chance for her to celebrate Christmas with her extended family, including those who do not receive an invitation to Sandringham.
Notable by his presence was the Duke of York – despite being forced to step down from public duties over the Epstein scandal, Andrew has made clear he will still attend family gatherings.
Also present were Charles and Camilla; Mike and Zara Tindall and their two daughters; Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie; Princess Anne; the Earl and Countess of Wessex and their children; and Prince and Princess Michael of Kent. Absentees included the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, who are on a six-week sabbatical abroad with baby Archie, and the increasingly frail Prince Philip, 98, who remains at Sandringham.
The queen normally leaves for Norfolk the morning following the lunch but on Thursday will instead be taking part in the State Opening of Parliament.