city Sandringham: Last News

The way in which the Royal Family spend the Christmas period is steeped in history and tradition as it as been shaped by the generations of royals who have come before. And while the King will be joined at the Sandringham Estate in Norfolk by most of his family, it is thought that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, as well as their children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, will be absent.

It's almost time for King Charles to open the doors of Sandringham house to his loved ones for another year, with the royal family spending the festive period at the Norfolk home for over 160 years. Not a small affair, the house is known to welcome the wider family in, with Prince Andrew, his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson and their daughters Beatrice and Eugenie usually joining. However, Andrew has the 'perfect excuse' not to attend this Christmas day, former BBC royal correspondent Jennie Bond tells OK!.

Buckingham Palace has today released King Charles and Queen Consort Camilla's Christmas card for 2024.

As well as time-old traditions such as the bustling grand present opening at Sandringham House on Christmas Eve, or the walk to church en masse on Christmas Day, another key ingredient of the festive season for the royals - much as it is for the rest of the population - is hitting the shops and admiring the festive light displays, as they engage in some retail therapy. But there is one Royal in particular has a famously deep-seated dislike of being gifted anything over the top or decadent on Christmas Day - and that is the King himself. As the monarch’s former butler, Grant Harrold, tells OK! that Charles always prefers friends and family to give him something that is fun, or useful - but never anything that looks like it broke the bank.

When it comes to Royal Christmas celebrations, even the late Princess Diana wasn't a fan of the annual festive family gathering to mark the special Yuletide occasion.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are believed to be putting the final touches to their Christmas arrangements, with the couple expected to celebrate the festive season in their Californian home.

The nation often turns its attention to the Royal Family during the festive season, particularly for the monarch's moving Christmas message.

at Christmas, according to reports.The holiday is looking to be “bittersweet” for the couple as they are “missing” spending the most wonderful time of year with the royal family, the Mirror reports.Meanwhile, OK! claims that Harry, 40, is acutely aware that he won’t have anyone from his side with him to enjoy Christmas and regrets that his children, Prince Archie, 5, and Princess Lilibet, 3, won’t get to play with their cousins during the holiday as he did growing up. “For Harry, it reminds him that he doesn’t have any of his side of the family to celebrate with,” a source reportedly told OK! “The kids won’t be seeing their cousins, and that was one of his favorite things growing up – all the cousins playing together at Sandringham.” “It may well even hurt seeing all the royals together, going to church and just enjoying each other’s company,” the insider added.

the bitter feud the pair have been locked in over the Royal Lodge — the property Andrew currently resides in.Other royals slated to attend Charles’ festive event include the Prince and Princess of Wales, and their three children; Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, the Mirror reports.Sources told the outlet that Charles has made a clear commitment to keeping the family united, especially after the difficult year the royals have faced following a slew of health woes.Other attendees rumored to be invited include the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh, and their two children, Lady Louise, 20 and James, Earl of Wessex, 16.The Post has reached out to Buckingham Palace for comment.Two royals that definitely won’t be in attendance are Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, who were reportedly snubbed from the invite list to celebrate Christmas with the royals at Sandringham.After being stripped of taxpayer-funded security protection, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have not been seen together on Harry’s home soil since 2022.As for Andrew’s ongoing feud with his brother, which kickstarted years ago after the duke was linked to disgraced late financier Jeffrey Epstein, the dup have been at odds even more so in the last year.Charles had been desperately trying to evict Andrew from the sprawling estate and into a smaller property, however his brother wouldn’t budge.Andrew, 64, was finally poised to leave the Royal Lodge last month after Charles refused to continue financially carrying his brother’s weight.However, it sensationally emerged that Andrew had found a mystery financial backer at the eleventh hour — allowing him and his ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, to remain at the royal digs.The ordeal left the monarch “fed up” — and

Kate Middleton and Prince William are set to spend Christmas with King Charles, marking a Royal reunion after the family's year-long battle with cancer.This festive gathering will be the first time the Royals have come together in full force following a challenging year for both the King and the Princess of Wales, who were both diagnosed with cancer. King Charles and Kate even shared hospital stays at the same time in January and the monarch reportedly made his way down the hospital corridor to comfort his daughter-in-law as they both recuperated from their surgeries.

King Charles has reportedly extended an olive branch to Prince Andrew amidst their ongoing dispute over the Royal Lodge, the home of the disgraced Duke of York. The King is planning a grand Christmas party to strengthen family unity after a year fraught with health issues, and his younger brother is expected to be in attendance.

Kate and William have chosen to spend Christmas with the King, as the Royal Family rallies together following a year-long battle with cancer. This festive gathering will be the first time the royals have united in full force after a challenging year for the monarch and the Princess of Wales, who were diagnosed with the disease within days of each other.

It’s approaching the most wonderful time of the year, as they say - and opening up recently in an interview, giving a rare insight into family life, Meghan Markle revealed sweetly that Christmas with the Sussexes get better ‘every year’ as their two children children Archie, five, and three year old Lilibet, get older. But for Prince Harry and his wife, , the season may also throw up some mixed feelings. There is no doubt that the couple, who have been married for six years are very happy with their idyllic home set-up in Montecito, California.

Meghan Markle has hinted at her family's festive plans, revealing the 'magical' Christmas traditions she and Prince Harry have with their children, Archie and Lilibet.

The festive season often sees the nation's gaze fixed on the Royal Family, especially for the monarch's heartfelt Christmas message.The Windsors maintain their tradition of attending church together on Christmas Day, greeting well-wishers during their walk to and from St. Mary Magdalene Church in Sandringham, and this year promises to continue that cherished routine.

They might be the most famous family in the world, but at Christmas, the royals’ wish list is rather conventional: happiness, good health and being together. Queen Elizabeth II adored having her family around her. “One of the joys of living a long life is watching one’s children, then grandchildren, then great-grandchildren, help decorate the Christmas tree,” she said in her 2015 Christmas message.

Reports have claimed that insiders have finally disclosed what the late Queen Elizabeth truly thought of Meghan Markle after she met Prince Harry.

told Closer. A source close to the pair told the outlet that Harry and the “Suits” alum, 43, will make their at-home celebrations “extra special” for their two young children.“Meghan’s mom Doria will join them at home in Montecito and they’ll ensure the children have a joyful day, despite not being around extended family,” an insider said, adding that the couple did not expect to receive an invitation from the royals.The Sussexes have repeatedly skipped out on various, year-round royal activities since quitting the Firm and moving to the US in 2020.They have not been back on Harry’s home turf for the festive season since the royal family’s 2018 gathering at Sandringham, the late Queen’s country estate in Norfolk, England.But while the duo didn’t receive an invitation from the royals for their annual festive get-together, the Sussexes did get invited to spend Christmas at Althorp House — the childhood home of his late mother, Princess Diana.Since quitting royal life, Harry has stayed in close contact with his late mother’s side of the family, specifically his uncle Charles Spencer.However, given the ongoing security woes the couple had been dealing with after being stripped from tax-funded protection earlier this year, the duo “had to turn [the invitation] down.”“Both Harry and Meghan agree that they shouldn’t return to the UK until the security arrangements are resolved,” the source said.

A leading royal commentator has explained why Prince Harry and Meghan Markle might not be seen at the Royal Family's Christmas gathering again this year.The royals usually celebrate the holiday season at the Sandringham Estate in Norfolk, but it seems that Harry and Meghan, who now reside in California with their two young children, haven't been extended an invite this year.The last time the Sussexes joined the royal Christmas was in 2018, shortly after their wedding. Since then, they've spent their Christmases away from the UK, including a trip to Vancouver Island with their son Prince Archie in 2019, and have remained stateside for the holidays since 2020.

Princess Beatrice is often praised for her devotion to balancing her busy working life with her charitable duties. Even though she is not a working royal, the Princess is a keen supporter of a number of causes, chief of which is helping those with dyslexia as it is something she is very familiar with having been diagnosed herself during her school days.The Princess, who is currently expecting her second child with husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi in early spring, is also a popular member of the Royal Family and is one of the Counsellors of State, meaning she can step in and perform minor duties on the monarch's behalf if he is ill, abroad or otherwise incapacitated.

If you subscribe to the idea of the Six Degrees of Separation, you will believe that we are all only six of fewer social links away from each other.That number will certainly become smaller when you take the Royal Family into consideration. For just under 1,000 years, noble families were paired with other noble families in marriage to ensure a continuation of the line.The result of the hundreds of arranged marriages is that there are some very interesting familial links, such as how Diana, Princess of Wales was considered to be more aristocratic than her husband King Charles and the late Queen.