Prince William and the Royal Family are busy preparing for Christmas. As tradition dictates, they will gather at Sandringham for the holidays. It will be a time for the royals to spend quality time together and relax, which is needed after this very challenging year.
King Charles and Kate Middleton’s respective cancer diagnoses sent shockwaves throughout the world, and it affected their close family members immensely. Now, luckily, Kate has declared herself cancer-free, while Charles reportedly will continue his treatment into the new year.
As King Charles hasn’t fully recovered, Prince William has taken on some of his father’s royal engagements, including traveling abroad. When the Notre Dame cathedral was reopened after five years of restoration work, William represented his father in Paris, where he met many world leaders, including Donald Trump. The couple had a brief sit-down, during which William gave a telling update on his wife.
The Royal Family’s Christmas celebrations have always been exceptional. It’s the time of the year when they temporarily retreat from royal duties and public life to enjoy one another’s company.
The royals traditionally gather at Sandringham for their Christmas celebration, which, like many others’ worldwide, includes a lot of food. On Christmas Eve, they have a formal dinner, which often includes Norfolk shrimp and lamb.
Christmas Day begins with a classic English breakfast of eggs, sausages, bacon, and beans. Then, after the traditional visit to St Mary Magdalene Church, which is the only time during the holidays when well-wishers get to greet the royals, well-wishers eat a Christmas lunch. The main course is a roast turkey.
While the royals hopefully don’t have to stress during the holidays, there will be a lot of people gathering. On Tuesday, while attending a seasonal event for families of the 1st Battalion Mercian Regiment in Wiltshire, William revealed to one family that he is looking forward to Christmas but that he’s ‘not ready.’
“Am I ready for Christmas? No, no way am I ready,’ the prince said, adding that he’s looking forward to meeting and spending time with 45 members of his family “all in one room.” However, he explained that they are “normally spread out.”
How the Royal Family will be celebrating Christmas
Christmas can be a magical time, especially when you are a child. This year’s royal holiday schedule will, of course, include many children. Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis will all be at Sandringham hoping to meet Father Christmas, and luckily, they will have their cousins to play with.
Princess Anne’s daughter Zara Tindall and her husband Mike will bring their three children, Mia, 7, Lena, 3, and 10-month-old Lucas, to Sandringham. In 2021, when interviewing with Radio Marsden, Prince William explained that his children love spending time and playing with their cousins during Christmas.
“When I see my children meet up with my cousins’ children, and they all have a wonderful time playing together, it’s very special,” William said. “So I look forward to that a lot and obviously Christmas is a new dynamic when you have children, suddenly it’s a whole different ball game when you have the noise and excitement, so I’m enjoying the new version of Christmas in my life.”
The Prince of Wales added: “I think generally, for me, bringing the family together at Christmas time is always lovely because we’re quite spread out doing our things a lot of the time during the year, and so we get very few moments to come together.”
William and Kate have gone through an incredibly tough 2024. The princess’ cancer battle meant the family had to adjust their life in full, and Kate left public life to focus on her recovery. She announced some time ago that she is cancer-free, and while it was fantastic news, this year has changed the Waleses’ view on life. In November, William admitted that 2024 has been “dreadful,” branding it as the “hardest year” of their lives.
Prince William and Kate Middleton have “learned to take nothing for granted”
According to an In Touch Magazine source, the couple have “learned to take nothing for granted.” After a rough year, they want to make this year’s Christmas “really special” for their children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis.
“They’re determined to appreciate every minute of this holiday season and make it really special for their kids,” the source said.
“Obviously having their mom healthy is all they ever wished for,” they continued, adding that William and Kate are “planning to lavish the kids with presents.”
While William and Kate enjoy spending time with their larger family, this year’s Christmas is also about having quiet moments just for them and their children. For example, one Christmas tradition for William and Kate includes taking their dogs for a walk away from the rest of the family.
“They’ll also spend plenty of quality time together. The prince and princess and their three children are truly celebrating making it through this extremely difficult year and being together,” the In Touch Magazine source concluded.
Kate Middleton shared the incredible news of her being cancer-free in early September. Although she had finished her treatment, the Princess of Wales didn’t return to work full-time straight away.
Now, the future is looking brighter, and just a week ago, William gave a new update on his wife and how she is doing during a chat with Donald Trump, when the future king represented his father in Paris for the reopening of Notre Dame. Speaking with the NY Post, Trump revealed what he and William had discussed.
“I asked him about his wife, and he said she’s doing well. And I asked him about his father and his father is fighting very hard, and he loves his father and he loves his wife, so it was sad,” Trump said, giving William a compliment for his new bearded look.
“He’s a good-looking guy. He looked really, very handsome last night. Some people look better in person? He looked great. He looked really nice, and I told him that,” the former and future president added.
During a typical royal year, the senior members of the Royal Family have a packed schedule. Prince William and Kate Middleton are no exceptions, but as he is the future king, their schedules could actually be even more hectic. While William and Kate have spent much quality time together at home this year, the prince is reportedly preparing a huge surprise for his wife.
A Closer Magazine source said the Prince of Wales is determined to treat his wife to a romantic trip next year.
As per GB News a source claimed: “The last year has left them closer than ever. The foundations of their marriage are impregnable and the hardship of this year has brought making time for one another so very, very important.”
Prince William and Kate might “reaffirm their wedding vows,” source says
“William is ever the romantic – Kate values their alone time; nothing is more special than having her prince to herself. So he’s planning a romantic getaway – just the two of them – William has set the wheels in motion to whisk Kate away.”
The source added that the trip could be a way for them to escape it all and that it wouldn’t be a surprise if they “took this time out to reaffirm their wedding vows in a private blessing.”
“He’s confided to friends that everything has been thrown in their path, but he is proud of how they have weathered the storm,” the source continued, saying that a trip away from it all will be an excellent opportunity for them to “reconnect.”
“They want to go somewhere secluded – William has employed a trusted family friend in assisting with this very special private getaway to a place of extreme importance – Africa and the wildlife reserves are a love for them both. To have their wedding blessed there after 14 years would be really special. They have both taken this year fully in their stride but it has been incredibly hard.”
Christmas is full of traditions, and one of the royal ones that members of the public get to participate in is the release of the yearly Christmas cards. King Charles and Queen Camilla have put out one — and now it’s Prince William and Kate Middleton’s turn. The Prince and Princess of Wales shared their Christmas greeting on social media, showing a picture of their entire family.
Prince William & Kate “treat their staff like family” for Christmas
The photo of Prince William and Kate Middleton, sitting with their children Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis, with their arms around each other, first appeared in the video when Kate announced she was cancer-free.
“Wishing you a very Happy Christmas and New Year,” a message in the card read.
The Royal Family has many staff members, including secretaries, chefs, nannies, and gardeners. At Christmas, they will also leave work to spend time with their respective families. However, when still there around the holiday season, Prince William and Kate Middleton make sure to show their appreciation.
In his biographer Battle of Brothers, author and royal expert Robert Lacey wrote that William’s private secretary Christian Jones had told him that the Prince and Princess of Wales are “paternalistic with their staff.”
“’They copy the Queen in that respect with all her Christmas parties and Christmas presents to her people,” Lacey wrote. “’They’re proud to treat their staff like family.”
The Royal Family might have considerable money and wealth, but that doesn’t mean their aides receive a high salary. However, Robert Lacey added that William and Kate always keep that in mind during Christmas.
“They recognize that they don’t get paid loads of money, so they are just really nice to them,” the author wrote in Battle of Brothers.
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