Princess Anne, 70 and her husband Timothy Laurence are favourites of the Queen.
However, Anne is based in Gloucestershire close to both her children Zara Tindall and Peter Phillips and is likely to want to arrange a micro family Christmas of her own.
The Queen’s rumoured favourite son Prince Andrew could join his parents for Christmas day with his daughters – Princess Beatrice, 32, and Princess Eugenie, 30.
However, the York sisters are likely to want to mark the holiday with their husbands which would also make the numbers too large for them to attend Sandringham.
