Lady Sarah Chatto made a rare public appearance as she made her way to Buckingham Palace on Tuesday alongside her family for the royal household’s traditional pre-Christmas gathering.
The 61-year-old was accompanied by her husband Daniel and their eldest son Sam, 29, as they arrived at the London residence.
Also spotted in the vehicle was Lady Margarita Armstrong-Jones, seated beside her aunt.
Lady Margarita, a jewellery designer by profession, is the daughter of Lady Sarah’s brother David Armstrong-Jones and a granddaughter of the late Princess Margaret.
Lady Sarah Chatto made a rare appearance at Buckingham Palace on Tuesday
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Notably absent from this year’s festivities appears to be Arthur Chatto, 26, Lady Sarah’s younger son, who serves as a Royal Marine and tends to maintain a lower public profile than his brother.
The Armstrong-Jones family shares a distinctive creative streak that runs through generations.
Sam has built a reputation as a ceramicist, frequently sharing glimpses of his artistic work, a talent seemingly passed down from his mother, who trained at the Camberwell School of Art.
Lady Margarita believes this artistic flair stems from their grandfather, Antony Armstrong-Jones, the first Earl of Snowdon, who earned acclaim as a portrait photographer.
Speaking to Hello about inheriting her grandfather’s creative vision, she reflected: “Well, it must have come from somewhere. He was a phenomenal photographer weirdly, I’ve just bought one of his books about interesting places in London architecturally, so there is some ongoing overlap. The people that he photographed were just incredible.”
Sam made headlines at last year’s Sandringham Christmas celebrations when he arrived with his girlfriend, fellow artist Eleanor Ekserdjian, in a departure from royal protocol.
Sam broke royal protocol last year when he turned up with his girlfriend Eleanor Ekserdjian
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Convention typically dictates that only married partners accompany family members to the Christmas Day walkabout.
Prince Harry similarly broke with tradition in 2017 by bringing Meghan Markle before their wedding the following year, and Sam’s decision prompted similar speculation about a possible engagement.
The couple share considerable common ground, with both having studied at the University of Edinburgh.
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Eleanor, whose parents are art historian Professor David Ekserdjian and Financial Times art critic Susan Moore, completed her MA in Fine Art in 2019.
The annual pre-Christmas lunch is a tradition established by the late Queen Elizabeth II.
The gathering typically brings together as many as 70 members of the extended royal family at Buckingham Palace.
The annual pre-Christmas lunch is a tradition established by the late Queen Elizabeth II.
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The event serves a particular purpose within the royal calendar, offering the monarch an opportunity to see relatives who will not be joining the main festivities at Sandringham on Christmas Day itself.
This year’s lunch continues the custom, with various branches of the family making their way to the palace ahead of the festive period.