Inside the Royal Family’s Christmas plans: as it’s revealed Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson won’t visit Sandringham this year, who will be attending the festivities?
The more the merrier! With a plethora of royals joining Prince William and Catherine, the Princess of Wales, at Sandringham this year, Tatler reveals all the names you could see on the Norfolk estate for Christmas
King Charles III, Queen Camilla, Catherine, the Princess of Wales, Prince George of Wales, Prince William, the Prince of Wales and Mia Tindall attend the Christmas Morning Service at Sandringham Church
Samir Hussein
Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson may not be attending the Christmas at Sandringham this year, but there are still a plethora of royal guests who will be descending on Norfolk this winter. As the Prince of Wales revealed earlier this week, the Firm are expecting a large group of friends and family to attend the festivities.
In addition to the regular royals, like Kate Middleton, the Princess of Wales, Princess Anne, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis, a grand total of 45 friends and family will head to the estate, Prince William told a family on a visit to the 1st Battalion Mercian Regiment. Holding court at the festive party in Bulford, Wiltshire, the father–of-three was acting in his role as the regiment’s colonel-in-chief, but remarked that he had certainly not been planning the festive season with military precision. ‘Am I ready for Christmas?’ he joked, ‘No, no way am I ready.’ (Nor, it seems, was he prepared for the occasion in Wiltshire, with the Prince blaming his new equerry for his lack of a Christmas jumper.)
Prince William, Prince of Wales, Colonel-in-Chief, 1st Battalion Mercian Regiment, visits the Regiment for a Christmas event for families at Picton Barracks
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Between handing out presents and meeting with the Mercian Regiment’s mascot, 18-month-old Swaledale ram, Private Derby, Prince William also revealed that 45 royals will journey to Sandringham for Christmas this month. He was, he said, looking forward to seeing them all ‘in the same room’, considering how ‘spread out’ the family usually is.
Royal Christmases, we know, typically involve heart family dinners and long walks with the dogs throughout the Norfolk estate. The lucky 45 to receive an invitation can expect games of charades over lunch, black tie banquets, and of course the traditional service at St Mary Magdalene Church.
It sounds like there’ll be no room at the 2,000-acre inn when the royal family ring in Christmas day this year. And while we won’t know which of the Windsors, precisely, will have RSVPd for the big day, Tatler can reveal the most likely candidates for decking the halls at Sandringham – as well as some surprise picks for royal favourites who could well have bagged an invite
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King Charles and Queen Camilla
No doubt holding court at the head of the Christmas table, King Charles will be hosting the festivities at Sandringham for the third time this year. Hopefully Queen Camilla has an easier time of things over lunch than she did when she flambéd a figgy pudding this week: the Queen poured a jug of whiskey over the dessert before setting it alight with a cautionary ‘hold on to your hair’.
Samir Hussein
2/12
Prince William, Kate Middleton, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis
It sounds like the Wales clan will all be joining Prince William for Christmas at Sandringham this year. The young royals, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis always delight the crowds on the walk to St Mary’s. Unlike millions of people around the country, though, they have no need to tune into ITV1 to watch Kate Middleton’s Together At Christmas concert, having supported the Princess in person last week.
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Prince Edward, Sophie, the Duchess of Edinburgh, Lady Louise Windsor, and James, Earl of Wessex
The Edinburghs have been a true rock for the royal family this year. The King’s brother, Prince Edward, and his wife Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh, have taken on a host of public engagements as Charles and Catherine stepped back from royal duties in the wake of their cancer diagnoses. Both of their children are also no doubt looking forward to a well-earned Christmas break, with Lady Louise Windsor finishing a year of study at St Andrews, and James, Earl of Wessex, starting his A-Levels earlier this autumn.
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Princess Anne and Sir Timothy Laurence
Anne, the Princess Royal, and her husband Sir Timothy Laurence, are also likely to be in Norfolk for the royal Christmas season. Often dubbed the hardest working royal, Princess Anne suffered a head injury earlier this year, but is thought to be well-recovered.
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Zara and Tindall, and their three children, Mia, Lena and Lucas
Princess Anne’s daughter, Zara Tindall, and her husband Mike are considered the ‘glue’ of the royal family, always able to bring a sense of fun to any occasion. It runs in the family, clearly, with their daughter Mia Tindall laughing and joking with Prince George last Christmas. She may well return for 2024, alongside her siblings, Lena and Lucas. The Tindalls weren’t able to join the Windsors at Balmoral this summer, due to Zara’s intensive equestrian schedule, so no doubt they’ll be eager to for a catch up
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Peter Phillips, Isla Phillips, Savannah Phillips, and Harriet Sperling
Zara Tindall’s brother, Peter Phillips, has been known to spend Christmas with his mother Princess Anne and the family at Sandringham. In years prior, he has been joined by his daughters, Isla and Savannah Phillips, and this year we may even see an extra invite for his girlfriend, Harriet Sperling. The pair enjoyed quite the summer of love, with Peter introducing the NHS nurse to Queen Camilla at Badminton Horse Trials
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Lady Sarah Chatto and family
The King’s cousin, Lady Sarah Chatto, is known to be close to the Firm, and could well bring along her family for the festive season. That would mean seats at the table for her husband, Daniel, and their two sons: Samuel, a ceramics artists, and Arthur, who is in the Royal Marines
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Lady Margarita Armstrong-Jones and the Earl of Snowdon
Lady Margarita Armstrong-Jones looked dazzling at Sandringham last year, as she joined her father, David Armstrong-Jones, 2nd Earl of Snowdon. No doubt many royal watchers would love to see the pair return for 2024
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Tom Parker Bowles and children
Queen Camilla’s son Tom Parker Bowles has definitely received an invitation to Norfolk this year. The food writer – who no doubt knows plenty of royal culinary secrets if he were ever inclined to join in with Sandringham’s chefs – revealed recently that his mother personally asked him and his family to attend. ‘My mum said “I’d love to you to come, I haven’t had Christmas with you for a long time,”’ he told the Telegraph. He may well be joined by his children, Lola and Freddy
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Laura Lopes and family
And if Tom is invited, you’d imagine Queen Camilla put her daughter, Laura Lopes, on the guest list, too. The art collector might be joined by her husband, Harry, and their two children, Eliza and Louis
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11/12
The Middletons
Whilst they haven’t traditionally attended the royal family Christmas at Sandringham, it’s possible the Middletons may visit the estate this year. They are known to have provided exceptional support to the Princess of Wales during her health battles, with Carole and Michael even appearing in a short video released to mark the end of Kate’s chemotherapy journey. Catherine’s parents, her sister Pippa and brother-in-law James, her brother James Middleton, his wife Alizée, would certainly be welcome additions around the dinner table. Plus there are a plethora of nieces and nephews to include, with Pippa and James currently sharing four children between them. The family gathered at Westminster Abbey last week to show their support at Kate’s Christmas carol concert
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Lady Gabriella Windsor
Lady Gabriella Windsor may not usually spend Christmas in Sandringham, but she has herself faced a challenging year after the death of her husband, Thomas Kingston. When Lady Gabriella attended Royal Ascot this summer, she was warmly embraced by Zara Tindall and she also attended Trooping the Colour alongside senior members of The Firm. Most recently, she joined the Middletons for Kate’s carol concert.
AND WHO ISN’T ATTENDING…
Sarah Ferguson and Prince Andrew
Prince Andrew, Duke of York and Sarah, Duchess of York arrive for the Royal Family’s traditional Christmas Day service at St Mary Magdalene Church on the Sandringham Estate
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Last year saw the Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York, receive an invite to Sandringham for the first time in 32 years. A glorious welcome back for Prince Andrew’s ex-wife; yet this year, the couple will not be attending the Norfolk get together. Instead, they are thought to be spending the holidays in Windsor.
Princess Beatrice, Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, and their children, Wolfie and Sienna
Princess Beatrice, Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi and his son Christopher Woolf attending the Christmas Day morning church service at St Mary Magdalene Church
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Princess Beatrice and her husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi are regulars at Sandringham, and in 2022, royal watchers were thrilled to see them joined by Edo’s son Christopher, who is also co-parented by Princess Beatrice and Dara Huang. Nicknamed ‘Wolfie’, the youngster also joined Beatrice at Catherine’s carol concert last week. However, it’s now been reported the royal couple are spending the holidays with Edo’s parents this year.
Princess Eugenie, Jack Brooksbank, and their children, Ernest and August
Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank
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Princess Eugenie and her husband Jack Brooksbank are festive favourites among the gathered royals at Sandringham, but we won’t be seeing them join the rest of the Firm this year, along with their two children, Ernest and August. Instead, it’s thought Eugenie and Jack will spend the holidays with Jack’s family.
