As the show interrupted its broadcast from the studio to air live updates from Windsor, presenter Charlie Peters spoke to royal commentator Rafe Heydel-Mankoo about the event. He said: “It’s a smaller gathering than we had last year. There are six people who aren’t there. Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, Sarah Ferguson, their two daughters, Princess Beatrice and Eugenie and their husbands.
“What a difference a year makes. There was an unexpected arrival of Andrew Mountbatten Windsor and Sarah Ferguson last year. Obviously, now he’ll be spending it on his own at Wood Farm, we understand and believe.”
He continued: “But we have here the nuclear. This is the nuclear working family. This is the future of the family.”
Peters said: “These are the people who work tirelessly, and in his famous Bentley maroon, we have the King and Queen arriving. This is the third year that they’ve arrived by car. They traditionally walk down, but of course, with advancing years and the King’s ongoing treatment, they now travel by car.
“But this is a slightly less awkward gathering than last year, when, of course, particularly the Prince of Wales was sort of looking rather uncomfortable standing next to his uncle.”
Rafe agreed: “Yes, and it’s noticeable, of course, that we also don’t have Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie here as well. It may have been that it was felt that it would have been advisable not to have them present because it would conjure up memories and conversation about their father, too.
“That hasn’t been officially confirmed, of course, we can draw our own conclusions from that.
