It’s Christmas, and the royals are marking the day one of the best ways they understand how — by savoring custom.
On Wednesday, all working members of the royal household congregated in St. Mary Magdalene Church on Sandringham Estate in Norfolk.
King Charles and Queen Camilla, who’ve made Christmas morning mass at Sandringham Church an annual custom, had been joined by Prince William, Kate Middleton, and their three youngsters: Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis.
King Charles and Queen Camilla led the royal household’s stroll for the third 12 months, which noticed them greeting members of the general public on their solution to the church. Prince William, Kate Middleton, and their youngsters had been shut behind them.
The outing got here after an particularly tough 12 months for the household, as each Charles and Kate battled most cancers, and Camilla had just lately missed a number of engagements as a consequence of pneumonia.
Princess Anne, the Princess Royal, was additionally in attendance, as was her daughter Zara Tindall and her former rugby participant husband, Mike Tindall.
Prince Edward and his spouse Sophie, the Duchess of Edinburgh, additionally attended the service.
Notably, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, in addition to their two youngsters, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, had been absent from this 12 months’s festivities.
The disgraced Prince Andrew was additionally absent, and so was his ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, who attended the Christmas at Sandringham occasion final 12 months. Their daughter Princess Eugenie spent the vacation together with her in-law. Their different daughter, Princess Beatrice, was current, alongside together with her husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi and his son Christopher Woolf, 8. Their 3-year-old daughter, Sienna, was not seen.
Per People, Prince William has beforehand described the annual stroll as an occasion he had “sturdy recollections” of.
“My grandfather [the late Prince Philip], he used to stroll so quick that there’d be big gaps and areas between all of us strolling down, and there’d be us on the again with little legs making an attempt to maintain up,” William recalled. “You know, I feel over time you begin to really feel fairly hooked up to these moments and people recollections earlier than.”
As for the household’s celebrations, this 12 months’s festivities didn’t stray from the Firm’s annual vacation plans.
This week, all members of the royal household — together with Charles, Queen Camilla and the Prince and Princess of Wales — sat down for his or her annual Christmas luncheon at Buckingham Palace.
The festive unfold, which includes some beloved British Christmas meals staples like Yorkshire puddings and Christmas black puddings, was adopted by a visit to the monarch’s sprawling dwelling in Sandringham — beforehand belonging to the late Queen Elizabeth II.
This week additionally noticed Charles, 76, ship out greater than 750 vacation playing cards to politicians and different VIPs around the globe — a practice that he’s stored up because the dying of his mom in 2022.
On Tuesday, the household all gathered to trade presents after having fun with a standard British afternoon tea.
In his bombshell 2023 memoir “Spare,” Harry wrote of Christmas Eve, “The entire household gathered to open presents on Christmas Eve, as at all times, a German custom that survived the anglicizing of the household surname from Saxe-Coburg-Gotha to Windsor.”
In the night, the household became their black-tie ensembles for a festive soirée, which was loved by all members of the royal household.
After attending the church service on Christmas Day, the household is anticipated to take a seat down for his or her festive meal at 12:45 p.m.
The royals typically spherical out the night time by taking part in a sport of charades — a practice that’s been in place for years.
Christmas Day additionally sees the monarch’s official festive message to the nation aired on tv. The pre-recorded video is normally broadcast at 3 p.m. native time.
Meanwhile, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are spending the vacation at their Montecito, Calif., dwelling with their two youngsters, in addition to Markle’s mom, Doria Ragland.
It is the sixth 12 months in a row the couple has spent the festive season aside from Harry’s household.
