Royal family gather at Sandringham on Christmas Day – without disgraced Andrew
King Charles and Queen Camilla waved to crowds outside St Mary Magdalene church on the Sandringham estate as they led the royal family to their annual Christmas morning church service.
Charles and Camilla took the family on the short walk from Sandringham House to the church for the ceremony, which started at 11am.
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor was also absent for a second year as he was stripped of his titles in a dramatic fall this year.
His ex-wife Sarah Ferguson was also not at the Sandringham party, but their children Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie were there with their husbands.
Hundreds of people gathered on a cold but sunny Christmas Day morning in Norfolk to attend the royal family’s Reverend Dr. He braved the elements to watch him be greeted on the church steps by Paul Williams.
Both Camilla and the Princess Royal opted for bright red coats for their Christmas day outing, while Camilla opted for black gloves with fur trim.
King Charles was wearing a camel-coloured coat and waved to people lining the walkway.
The Prince and Princess of Wales were walking down the driveway at the back of the party, guiding their children Princess Charlotte, Prince George and Prince Louis.
The family stopped to talk to those gathered after the end of the church service. Kate shook the hands of those waiting to see the family and shared a few words with those in wheelchairs at the front of the crowd. He collected the flowers gifted to him by well-wishers in his arms.
He was wearing a brown checkered coat, matching brown gloves, and a fascinator. Kate and Charlotte delighted TV viewers last night with a video of them performing a piano duet for a Christmas carol service.
A performance of a score by Scottish composer Erland Cooper was pre-recorded at Windsor Castle for broadcast on ITV1’s Together in Christmas.
Accompanying the young family at Sandringham were Princess Anne and her husband, Vice-Admiral Sir Tim Laurence, Anne’s daughter Zara Tindall and her husband, former England rugby player Mike Tindall.
Andrew, who last attended a Christmas Day service in 2023, is expected to move to Norfolk in the new year.
The former prince will move from Royal Lodge in Windsor to an undisclosed property on the Sandringham estate owned by his brother Charles. Andrew was removed from the royal family because of his relationship with convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
But this week more details have emerged about the apparent extent of the affair with the disgraced financier and his partner Ghislaine Maxwell.
New documents have revealed a series of emails addressed to Maxwell by the letter ‘A’ at Balmoral, asking if she found them an “inappropriate friend”.
Andrew’s ex-wife Sarah Ferguson has also had a tumultuous year as she was stripped of her role as patron or ambassador by seven charities.
It came after newspapers published a 2011 email from Ms Ferguson to Mr Epstein in which she described him as a “great friend”.
St Mary Magdalene, in its present form, dates back to the 16th century and was used by the Royal Family residing at Sandringham. The church was also used as a venue for celebrations, such as the christening of Princess Charlotte.
King Edward VII started the tradition of spending Christmas at Sandringham Manor.
After attending church, the royal family will gather to watch the King’s speech, which this year will be given from a chapel in Westminster Abby at 3pm.
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