King Charles III and the Queen Consort will continue the long-standing tradition of welcoming their family members for Christmas celebrations in Sandringham.
The King and Queen will attend the Christmas Day morning service at Sandringham Church, Buckingham Palace said this week. The pair will on Monday (December 25) march together with other royal family members.
ITV reported that royal Christmases feature the greeting of well-wishers after the morning trip to St Mary Magdalene Church. There will then be a family lunch with turkey and all the trimmings.
Sandringham is the royal family's much-loved country retreat. It has been the private home to generations of British monarchs since 1862.
It was purchased as a country home for Edward VII, then Prince of Wales, and his soon-to-be wife at the time, Alexandra of Denmark.
Located in Norfolk, England, just over 100 miles north of London, the estate covers 20,000 acres.
So who will join King Charles and his wife Camilla at Sandringham this Christmas? Here’s what we know.
Who will attend the royal Christmas Day church service at Sandringham this year?
King Charles III and the Queen Consort will likely be joined by the Prince and Princess of Wales and their three children; George, Charlotte, and Louis.
In November, ITV revealed that Queen Camilla had extended an invitation to her grandchildren and children to attend the meal for the first time.
The King’s sister, the Princess Royal, and her family will also probably attend the service.
The Earl and Countess of Wessex, and their two children, Lady Louise Spencer and James, Viscount Severn, are expected to be there, too.
However, given his controversial involvement with American sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, Prince Andrew’s attendance is uncertain.
In the past, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, Harry and Meghan, also attended the service. However, since they left the UK in 2020 and ended their royal roles, the pair have celebrated Christmas privately.
With their two children, Prince Archie, four, and Princess Lilibet, two, at home in their native California, Prince Harry and Meghan will not spend Christmas in Sandringham. After welcoming Archie in May 2019, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex last celebrated Christmas with the royal family in 2018.
Their 2022 Netflix docuseries, Harry & Meghan, has not spread much Christmas cheer among the other royals. The six-part series featured the couple criticising aspects of the royal family and their behaviour, which they said partly contributed to them leaving the UK.
However, in the docuseries, Meghan fondly recalled the Christmas she spent at Sandringham in 2017. She said: “I remember so vividly the first Christmas at Sandringham. Calling my mum, and she’s like, ‘How’s it going?’. And I said, ‘Oh my gosh, it’s amazing. It’s just like a big family like I always wanted’.
“There was just this constant movement and energy and fun.”
