By ANNA EDWARDS
It's a rare occasion which sees the entire Royal family gathered around the table for a pre-Christmas lunch.
Only twice a year does the Queen summon the entire extended Royal Family to the Palace for a festive feast.
And while some would expect the distinguished guests to arrive in expensive cars driven by chauffeurs, Viscount Linley and his daughter took a far more humble approach to their mode of transport.
Viscount Linley and daughter Margarita Armstrong-Jones arrive for the Buckingham Palace Christmas celebration
Squeeze in! The Viscount looked thrilled as he drove inside the palace for the festive occasion
The beaming pair arrived in a tiny blue Fiat 500, with a pair of dice dangling from the rear view mirror.
They were joined by other members of the Royal family including Prince William and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall.
Kate wore a festive red coat while her husband, the second in line to the throne, looked smart in a blue suit and glasses as he drove them into Buckingham Palace.
However, there was no sign of the couple's son, Prince George, who is third in line to the throne.
The Queen could be seen peering out of the window as she was driven into the palace.
Prince William was all ears when Kate spoke to him as they drove to the central London palace
Cheer up William, you're about to have Christmas dinner! The Prince and Kate drove to the feast, but there was no sign of Prince George
The Royal couple joined the rest of the distinguished guests for the pre-Christmas lunch
The Queen was driven in by a chauffeur before she greeted her extended family for the meal
Camilla looked all smiles as she was joined by her husband Prince Charles for the Christmas lunch
She will be dining with Prince Edward, Princess Beatrice and Katharine, the Duchess of Kent.
A police officer could be seen holding up the exclusive guest list and checking which of the esteemed visitors had arrived for the banquet.
Crowds braved the rain to line the path of the Mall in London to greet the Royal family.
While William and Kate drove themselves to the lunch, it was a far cry from their latest 'official engagements' car.
Prince William has recently added a £250,000 Bentley to his garages is likely to make him the envy of many fathers-to-be up and down the country.
If your name's not down, you're not coming in: Two officers check to see who has made it for the Christmas lunch
All present and accounted for: A policeman could be seen eyeing up the guest list for the prestigious meal
The Flying Spur, which the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will use for high-profile official engagements, is one of the world’s fastest saloon cars with a top speed of 200mph.
Safety features include bullet-proof windows and super-hardened steel armour, contributing to its hefty three-ton weight.
One member of the family who was absent is Prince Harry.
The 29-year-old Royal showed off his bushy facial hair during a tour of a South Pole research centre shortly before departing for the UK.
Prince Harry returns to Britain after finishing Walking With The Wounded's South Pole Allied Challenge, which saw him join a team of injured service personnel from the UK and two others from the Commonwealth and the US, for a charity trek across Antarctica.
The Prince and Princess Michael of Kent were among the guests who got into the Christmas spirit today
A family occasion: Prince Edward arrived on foot for the special meal while Princess Beatrice was driven in
The Duchess of Kent looked thrilled to attend while Lady Helen Windsor glowed
While Prince Charles was probably expecting his photograph to be taken when he arrived at the Palace, he wasn't expecting it when a youngster asked him for a snap.
A schoolboy took a selfie of himself with Prince Charles after he asked the Royal for a picture during a visit to a church centre.
The young boy took the picture before security staff could intervene after he asked the Prince of Wales if he could take a photo.
The boy, a member of the Coptic Orthodox Church Centre, in Stevenage, Hertfordshire, took the opportunity to ask for a picture while Prince Charles was chatting to the congregation yesterday.
He said: 'I went up to him and said if I could take a photograph of him - and then well I didn't wait for the body guards to push me out of the way, I just took a picture.'
Prince Charles, who was wearing a navy blue suit and checked tie, is seen standing behind the boy, looking into the camera.
Prince Harry strokes his new-grown beard after completing the 200mile trek to the South Pole with the Walking With the Wounded teams
Harry, sporting a full beard, and fellow Walking With The Wounded trekkers, iwere given a tour of NSF's Amundsen-Scott Pole Station
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