The Duke of Edinburgh has inherited his father’s valuable car license plate

The Duke of Edinburgh has inherited his late father’s valuable license plate.

Prince Edward was photographed arriving at the royal family's annual pre-Christmas lunch on Wednesday at the wheel of a Range Rover bearing Prince Philip's OXR1 registration.

The late Duke of Edinburgh used this plate for decades, initially for a custom-built 1954 Lagonda 3-litre drophead coupe, which he kept until 1961.

The Lagonda was replaced by an Alvis TD21, which was later refurbished and displayed at the Sandringham Museum with the same number plate.

The late Duke later drove a Land Rover Discovery with the registration number OXR 2.

His youngest son drove his wife, the Duchess of Edinburgh, and his daughter Lady Louise to the family Christmas party at Windsor Castle on Wednesday.

Break with tradition

The King hosted the private event for the second year in a row and once again broke with tradition by choosing Windsor instead of Buckingham Palace as the venue.

The private feast, complete with turkey and all the trimmings, was the largest family gathering since the coronation in May. The Prince and Princess of Wales, who live on the Windsor estate, were apparently present with their three children.

Others photographed arriving or leaving the castle included The Princess Royal accompanied by her husband, Vice Admiral Sir Tim Lawrence, The Duke of York, Princess Eugenie and her husband Jack Brooksbank, Zara and Mike Tindall, and Prince and Princess Michael of Kent.

The Kents' son, Lord Frederick Windsor, was at lunch with his wife Sophie and their children, and Peter Phillips was present with his two daughters.

Countess Mountbatten of Burma, Penny Romsey, a close friend of the late Duke of Edinburgh, was also invited.

At least 50 members of the extended family attended the celebratory lunch and enjoyed a Sandringham-bred turkey, followed by Christmas pudding and accompanied by champagne and wine.

Crackers, jokes and hats

There are crackers, jokes and party hats, although the royal children usually dine separately with their nannies.

The lunch was traditionally held at Buckingham Palace and gave the late Queen the opportunity to meet with members of her family who do not travel to Sandringham for Christmas.

The King's decision to hold the ceremony at Windsor Castle instead was understandably a matter of personal preference.

The late Queen always travelled to Sandringham by train the next day and stayed there until February 6th – the anniversary of her accession to the throne.

Although the King will follow in her footsteps and travel to Sandringham, he will enjoy a much shorter holiday in Norfolk before returning to work.

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