She 'Banned' Prince Harry From A Shoot, Staff Have Quit: Is Meghan Rebellious Or Proud To Be Different?

As usual there will be plenty of seasonal cheer and along with the bonhomie, some good natured, gentle ribbing. There always is when the Queen welcomes the entire Royal Family to a pre-Christmas lunch at Buckingham Palace.

But for the first time in recent years this week’s gathering is being held against an uneasy backdrop of reported rifts and family splits. 

No one is more sensitive to domestic discord than the Queen, who throughout the Diana years found herself having to hold the ring amid the turmoil that raged around her.

She is determined, say courtiers, to never again allow such conflicts to destabilise family unity.