Princess Catherine and Prince William ‘to skip Christmas lunch at the ‘Big House’ with Charles
Princess Catherine and Prince William will skip this year’s Christmas lunch with King Charles, but a controversial royal is set to attend.
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After a tough year for the Prince and Princess of Wales, they are looking forward to Christmas and catching up with the royal family.
Princess Catherine, 42, and Prince William, 42, will attend the main Christmas Day service at St Mary Magdalene on the Sandringham Estate.
But, according to royal commentator Emily Andrews, the couple hope to see the Middletons for Christmas dinner this year instead.
This year has been a tough time for the Waleses, but also for Catherine’s parents, Carole, 69, and Michael Middleton, 75.
The Middletons reportedly stepped up to support their daughter through her cancer treatment at her home in Windsor.
“So a festive, joyous Middleton Christmas with all the trimmings will be just the ticket,” said Andrews.
“It’s also likely to include Kate’s sister Pippa, her husband James Matthews and children Arthur, six, Grace, three and Rose, two, along with her brother James Middleton, his wife Alizée and son Inigo, one.”
Andrews told The Sun: “They prefer the informality of a relaxed lunch at nearby Anmer Hall.
“And I understand will do so again this year, with the addition of the Middleton family.”
Once Prince George, 11, Princess Charlotte, nine, and Prince Louis, six, have broken up from school in mid-December, it’s thought that the family will decamp to Norfolk.
Anmer Hall is their sanctuary, and after Catherine’s cancer diagnosis, chemotherapy and continued road to recovery, this festive period is likely to be more special than most.
Traditionally, Christmas for the Royal Family is held at Sandringham House.
Sarah Hewson, royal editor at Talk TV, said the royal family typically gather on Christmas Eve to kickstart the celebrations.
She added: “The little royals – George, Charlotte and Louis and Camilla’s grandchildren – will help finish decorating the tree.”
Then, the royal family and all their guests will place their gifts on a trestle table in the red drawing room and they will open them at tea time, a German tradition introduced by Prince Albert.
“And contrary to what we might expect when you think about a royal Christmas, there are no diamonds under the tree.
“They actually give joke gifts – Kate once, when he was single, gave Harry a Grow Your Own girlfriend kit, and apparently Meghan’s present to the Queen on her first Christmas at Sandringham with a singing hamster.”
Then on Christmas Day, there are one or two visits to church in the morning, followed by lunch and the monarch’s speech.
King Charles, 76, has mostly kept to these traditions, although Queen Camilla, 77, has also started inviting her family to stay too.
But this December is set to be slightly different for the royal family.
“Charles is still receiving treatment for cancer and so Christmas at the ‘Big House’ may be more muted,” Andrews said.
“Friends say that the extended royal family who were invited to Sandringham last year – among them Prince Andrew, 64, and his family, and ex-wife Sarah Ferguson, 65, are awaiting to see how Charles’ health holds up in the coming weeks, but they hope to all go.”
Despite his current Royal Lodge row with King Charles, the ‘defiant’ Duke of York is believed to have received an invite for the Sandringham festivities.
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