Royal Christmas tradition broken again? Who was the surprise guest this year?

A Royal Christmas tradition which was once broken for Meghan Markle in 2017, has been flouted once again this year and is seen as a potential signal an upcoming royal wedding.
The Royal family has abided by strict rules for years which implies that no member would invite their partners to Sandringham until after marriage. Remarkable figures such as Kate Middleton and Mike Tindall had to wait until their weddings before receiving an invitation.
However, this tradition was first bent in 2017 when Meghan Markle was invited ahead of her marriage to Prince Harry.
This year, Samuel Chatto, the grandson of Princess Margaret, was granted special permission to invite his girlfriend, Eleanor Ekserdjian, to the Royal Christmas celebration.
The 28 year old pottery artist Samuel from West Sussex, began dating Eleanor, also an artist, in 2021. The couple was spotted walking together on Christmas Day as they made their way to St Mary Magdalene Church. A “Windsor observer” speaking to the Daily Mail suggested that this gesture might point towards a royal wedding on the horizon.
The invitation to Ekserdjian at this year’s Royal Christmas celebration has sparked speculation that a royal wedding could soon be on the cards, as per The Mirror US
“This is a clear sign there will be a royal wedding in the new year,” the observer remarked.
Samuel, who is 29th in line to the throne, comes from a family with deep artistic roots. His father, Daniel Chatto, is a former actor turned renowned painter, who married Lady Sarah Chatto, daughter of Princess Margaret and cousin to King Charles.
Samuel’s artistic career has seen him gain recognition, including an apprenticeship with Japanese porcelain master Yagi Akira in Kyoto. His work led to an invitation to June’s Japanese State Banquet at Buckingham Palace, where he rubbed shoulders with the royal family, including King Charles, Queen Camilla, Prince William, and the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh.
Samuel, known for his passion for creating, once explained: “I’ve always had a strong affinity with creating objects, having spent much of my childhood crafting imagined landscapes and sculptural models, which naturally led me to clay during my later years at school.”
In 2019, Samuel also spent six weeks in India for a yoga teacher training course, describing the experience as “incredibly eye-opening experience.”