Princess Eugenie breaks silence on behalf of herself and sister Beatrice after missing Christmas concert

The Princess of Wales hosted her annual Together for Christmas carol concert on Friday, but Princess Eugenie was one of the notable absences from the event

rincess Eugenie was one of the royals who sadly missed the Princess of Wales’ annual Together for Christmas carol concert.  However, following the event, the youngest daughter of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and Sarah Ferguson took to social media to issue a statement about not being present.

On her Instagram, she wrote: “Wish Bea and I could have been celebrating tonight with our family. Wishing @princeandprincessofwales such a special evening at her incredible carol service. What an amazing message of hope.” Eugenie also shared a snapshot of the back of the order paper, which carried an intricate floral design.

It’s unclear why Eugenie and her older sister, Princess Beatrice, weren’t at the event, but it’s unlikely that they weren’t invited. Although their father has recently been stripped of all of his royal titles, HELLO’s royal editor, Emily Nash, has said that Prince William and King Charles won’t seek to punish the royal sisters.

Speaking on HELLO!’s A Right Royal Podcast, Emily said: “You have to have some sympathy for them. And I think we’ve seen that compassion coming from the King and the Prince of Wales. It’s been made clear that they’re not going to be punished for things beyond their control. This is not something of their doing.”

Eugenie was absent from last year’s carol service as well, and in the days following the event, the royal mum-of-two featured in a portrait taken ahead of the National Gallery’s bicentenary. The royal was seen posing near a stunning painting while wearing a smart teal coat and a silver pendant necklace.

Her older sister, however, was in attendance. Beatrice was seen arriving at last year’s service alongside her husband, Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, and her stepson, Christopher ‘Wolfie’ Woolf. At the time, Beatrice was pregnant with her second child, Athena, and the royal was seen wearing a burgundy dress with a delicate floral print and a floaty midi skirt that skimmed over her blossoming baby bump.

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The royal expressed sadness at not being at the event

Although the royal sisters weren’t present at this year’s concert, Kate was supported by several other members of her family. Among the royals who attended were Prince William and the three children Kate shares with him, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis. They were joined by Zara and Mike Tindall, the Duchess of Edinburgh, the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester and Prince Michael of Kent.

Personal service

HELLO!’s royal editor, Emily Nash, who was at the service, described it as the most “personal” one yet. She explained: “What touched me the most was seeing others there whose stories touched William and Kate and countless more of us over the course of the past year. They included Rhian Mannings, whose story of losing her child to illness and her husband to suicide left the Prince tearful, and Steven Frank, the Holocaust survivor who I watched Kate greet with an enormous hug when they were reunited back in January.

“Lewis Moody, the former England rugby star who was recently diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease, was there with his family, signalling the royal couple’s ongoing support for those facing the illness, as was Katherine Field, who was pictured having cold cap therapy during her cancer treatment when the Princess made an emotional return visit to the Royal Marsden back in January.”

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The concert was moving for the royals in attendance

The service paid a special tribute to the late Duchess of Kent, who passed away at the age of 92 on 4 September 2025. During her life, the late royal was involved in music education, and in 2004, she co-founded Future Talent to help musically gifted children from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Guests were welcomed with music by eight young performers aged between 13 and 18 who have benefited from the charity’s work. They will be performing as a brass ensemble specially brought together for the event.