Princess Eugenie was one member of the royal family who failed to appear at the Princess of Wales’s comeback carol service last night, which was attended by large numbers of royals.
Kate Middleton, 42, presented the ‘Together At Christmas’ carol service – which will be broadcast on ITV on Christmas Eve – at Westminster Abbey as she slowly returns to public life after a difficult year.
The Princess of Wales underwent major abdominal surgery in hospital earlier this year, after which doctors announced the news that they had found evidence of cancer and recommended that she undergo a grueling preventative course of chemotherapy.
She stepped back from public life while undergoing chemotherapy, and has returned to a number of royal gatherings in the second half of the year.
Last night, Kate was joined by her husband Prince William and their three children: Louis, six, Charlotte, nine, and 11-year-old Prince George.
Other members of the royal family were also in attendance, including Princess Beatrice with her husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi and her stepson Christopher Woolf.
However, her sister Princess Eugenie was not present.
The details surrounding her absence are unclear, but this is likely due to her decision to divide her time between Britain and Portugal, along with her husband and two sons, August and Ernest.
Princess Eugenie was one member of the royal family who failed to appear at the Princess of Wales’s comeback carol service last night, which was attended by large numbers of royals.
It is understood her husband, Jack Brooksbank, works in Portugal at Michael Meldman’s Discovery Land Company.
However, she wasn’t the only one to skip the event as the King and Queen were also absent.
A royal source told the newspaper Emphatic: ‘The villa in Portugal is more of an investment than anything else and the construction is not even completed yet.’
They added: ‘It was not bought as a new home but more as a holiday home and something they can put their money into to protect their belongings.’
Earlier this year, Princess Eugenie gave a rare insight into her life in Portugal – and her children’s favorite pastimes there.
The 34-year-old royal revealed that her sons – August, three, and Ernest, one, ‘love swimming’, despite her growing up being ‘scared’ of the ocean.
Other members of the royal family were also in attendance, including Princess Beatrice with her husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi and her stepson Christopher Woolf
The details surrounding Eugenie’s absence are unclear, but this is likely due to her decision to divide her time between Britain and Portugal, along with her husband and two sons, August and Ernest.
Princess Beatrice, who is expecting her second child, attended the service last night
She added: ‘The sea in Portugal is a bit rougher. So we have our feet in it, but Augie is a fish. He literally loves it, and we have whales and dolphins right across the walls.”
Eugenie, who is married to Jack Brooksbank, 38, added in conversation with Hello!: ‘We have a book called The World’s Wildest Waters, which is supported by the Blue Marine Foundation. I see it every morning when Augie is making breakfast, and he says, “Mommy!” and then we go through it.
‘The children have to find the creatures in the pictures and on the next page you will find all the facts about the squid, or the great white shark or the seal. And Augie loves it.”
Eugenie spoke to the magazine during a visit to Christie’s to see Blue: Art, pieces of which will be auctioned to raise money for the Blue Marine Foundation.
Kate was full of laughter as she chatted with some of her guests at the Christmas carol concert, including Paloma Faith
The Princess (pictured) was involved in every aspect of the service and held regular planning meetings in Windsor
The Princess of Wales sat opposite Prince Louis and Princess Charlotte, who matched their mother’s red ensemble, during the Christmas carol concert
Prince Louis and the Princess of Wales during the singing service
Unlike her children, the eco-conscious royal previously revealed how she was once terrified of the ocean, despite now supporting efforts to reverse environmental damage to it.
In June, the princess shared an adorable childhood photo of herself by the sea on Instagram, ahead of World Oceans Day.
The then-young royal grinned at the camera in the photo, wearing a blue swimsuit and matching bucket hat with a generous layer of sunscreen on her face.
Since becoming a mother to her children August and Ernest, the daughter of the Duke and Duchess of York has become environmentally conscious in the hope of helping future generations.