It’s rambling, draughty – and King Charles likes his creature comforts. Does that mean  Buckingham Palace is out in the cold, asks NATASHA LIVINGSTONE?

WHEN the Royal Family hosts their annual turkey and trimmings lunch on the Wednesday before Christmas, we know the holidays are finally upon us.

But this year's gathering may also be a sign of something else: that King Charles won't be decorating the halls of Buckingham Palace with holly anytime soon.

For the second year in a row, the King chose to host the banquet at Windsor Castle, breaking the Queen's tradition of inviting her relatives to Buckingham Palace.

The Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh arrive for lunch this week

Penny Knatchbull, Countess Mountbatten of Burma was among the guests at Windsor

Some of this must be down to personal preference. Although he was well aware of its importance as a national symbol, Charles was never fond of the palace, which is too large, in need of renovation and drafty.

Restoration work is also currently underway until 2027.

It says something that Charles and Camilla have warmed themselves with a discreet, wood-encased stove at major state dinners, including the diplomatic reception earlier this month.

Charles likes his comfort, and the palace is really chilly.

Charles has remained at nearby Clarence House since his accession to the throne and it has already been suggested that he will use Buckingham Palace more as an office than a home.

Royal insiders have speculated that he is in no hurry to move in.

The traditional lunch is a rare occasion when the monarch's extended family meets and allows the King to celebrate with those not invited to spend Christmas Day with the senior Royals at Sandringham.

The royal family members enjoy a sit-down with a Sandringham-bred turkey and puff on crackers in the castle's state apartments, while children under 16 eat together in St George's Hall.

Buckingham Palace is known around the world as the home of the British Royal Family, but it is cold and draughty

The King and Queen enjoy spending time at Birkhall House, their private home in Scotland. What will become of their other country home, Highgrove in Gloucestershire?

The decision to host it at Windsor Castle could be a sign of other changes, too.

Do the royals want the meal to be seen more as a private family affair than a public event – ​​which might seem sensible given the whiff of scandal attached to certain family members?

This week, Prince Andrew was photographed arriving at Windsor Castle for lunch, amid suggestions that soon-to-be-released court documents would include a new allegation of misconduct by a woman at Jeffrey Epstein's New York mansion in 2001.

Prince Andrew has always strongly denied any wrongdoing.

Another guest this year was Princess Michael of Kent, who was forced to apologize in 2017 after photos of her arrival at the Christmas lunch at Buckingham Palace showed her wearing a controversial 'blackamoor' brooch.

This was the first Christmas lunch attended by Meghan Markle.

Then there's the broader question of the Windsors' extensive collection of mansions, palaces and castles and what to do with such grandeur in a more egalitarian – and cost-conscious – era.

The State Dining Room at Buckingham Palace, here with the table set in Victorian style

The King delivers last year's Christmas message. His decision to host the lunch in Windsor could indicate that Buckingham Palace is out of favour

(Last summer the king lowered the temperature of the Buckingham Palace swimming pool to save money, a move that did not escape the attention of the staff who use it.)

Will Balmoral be opened to the public? There has been speculation. And what about Highgrove in Gloucestershire, when Charles now has another country house at Birkhall in Scotland?

There can be little doubt about the location of Windsor Castle, the home favored by the late Queen Elizabeth, or Sandringham in Norfolk, where her father, George VI, died prematurely in 1952 (and where the Queen stayed after every Christmas until the anniversary of his death on February 6.)

None of that looks good for Buckingham Palace, which, from what the world knows, will be a rather lonely place this Christmas and perhaps for some time to come.