King Charles and Queen Camilla led the Royal Family to their traditional Christmas Day church service at St Mary Magdalene Church on the Sandringham Estate on Thursday. The Prince and Princess of Wales attended with their three children – Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis – along with other senior royals.
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor was notably absent for the second consecutive year. The King's brother was stripped of his titles following his friendship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. He spent Christmas at his Royal Lodge home near Windsor Castle.
Hundreds of well-wishers braved the cold but sunny Norfolk morning to catch a glimpse of the royals walking to the church. The family waved and smiled at crowds who had queued since the evening before.
Andrew's daughters attend
Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie joined the service despite their father's absence. The sisters attended with their husbands Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi and Jack Brooksbank.
Their appearance was seen as a surprise by some royal watchers. Earlier reports had suggested they might celebrate elsewhere to avoid choosing between their royal relatives and their disgraced father.
Wider family gathering
Princess Anne attended alongside her husband Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence. Her daughter Zara Tindall and husband Mike Tindall, the former England rugby player, also joined the walk to church.
The Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh were present with their children Lady Louise Windsor and James, Earl of Wessex. Peter Phillips attended with his fiancée Harriet Sperling and his daughters.
Royal Lodge departure
Andrew is expected to vacate Royal Lodge in the new year. He will move to Marsh Farm, a property on the Sandringham Estate currently undergoing renovation.
The move follows public outcry over him paying only a peppercorn rent for the large Windsor property. He has resided at Royal Lodge for more than 20 years.
Recent releases of information from the Epstein files have renewed scrutiny on Andrew's past relationship with the disgraced financier. He has consistently denied any wrongdoing.
Traditional celebrations
After the service, the family returned to Sandringham House for lunch and private celebrations. King Charles delivered his Christmas broadcast at 3pm, filmed at Westminster Abbey.
The Sandringham Christmas gathering has been a royal tradition since 1988. This year's event concluded a turbulent year for the monarchy marked by King Charles's cancer diagnosis and the Princess of Wales's recovery from cancer treatment.
Note: This article was created with Artificial Intelligence (AI).
