The Moment
Christmas at Sandringham is basically the royal family’s annual live-action holiday card, and this year the message was loud and clear: next generation front and center, scandals offstage.
On a bright but freezing Christmas morning, King Charles and Queen Camilla led the traditional walk to St Mary Magdalene Church on the Sandringham estate in Norfolk. According to a detailed report from a UK tabloid’s U.S. edition on December 25, 2025, they were followed by the Prince and Princess of Wales and their three children: Prince George, 12, Princess Charlotte, 10, and Prince Louis, 7.
Kate arrived in an autumnal brown tweed jacket, silk scarf and a statement hat, doing that effortless country chic thing she could probably pull off in a supermarket car park. The photos show her beaming down at Charlotte, who looked every inch the mini royal pro as she greeted the crowds.
Louis, meanwhile, provided the comic relief, clutching a giant red Lindor chocolate that appeared to come from a well-wisher in the crowd and eyeing it like he’d just won the Cadbury lottery. George hovered a few steps behind his younger siblings, giving very much “responsible eldest child making sure nobody licks a stranger’s candy” energy.
Queen Camilla leaned into the season in a bright red coat and hat as she walked alongside Charles. Behind them were other working and semi-working royals: Prince Edward and Sophie, the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh, with their children James, Viscount Severn, 17, and Lady Louise, 22; plus Princess Anne and her husband Sir Timothy Laurence, joined by Zara and Mike Tindall and their three children.
The crowd was estimated at around 500 people, some queuing for hours at the Sandringham War Memorial gates. One 70-year-old royal superfan from south-west London reportedly camped out overnight on a folding chair with heat pads, just to be first in line. Families had flown in from Texas and Toronto, turning the chilly church walk into the centerpiece of their holiday trips.
The other headline from the day wasn’t who was there, but who very much wasn’t. King Charles’s younger brother Prince Andrew and his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson were absent from the guest list for the second Christmas in a row, after years of intense scrutiny over their past association with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Their daughters, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, did attend with Beatrice’s husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, quashing pre-walk rumors that the sisters might celebrate elsewhere.
The Take
I know we call it a “walk to church,” but what we’re really watching is a moving royal billboard. Every outfit, every smile, every missing face is a message.
This year’s message? The monarchy is betting the house on the Wales family and the younger generation. Kate’s soft smiles at Charlotte, the kids confidently greeting strangers, Louis with his giant chocolate – it all telegraphs warmth, normalcy, and “we’re just like you, only with better hats and inherited estates.”
And then there’s the seating chart you can’t see but can absolutely feel. Andrew and Fergie off the list again, Beatrice and Eugenie very much on it. That’s not just family politics; it’s brand management. It says: we’re drawing a line under the Epstein years, but we’re not punishing the daughters forever. In plain English: the sins of the parents stop at the driveway.
Remember, Charles has long been rumored to favor a “slimmed-down monarchy.” Well, nothing slims down a monarchy faster than quietly trimming the Christmas guest list. You invite the future king, the kids, the workhorses like Anne and Edward – and leave the walking PR crisis at home.
What I find fascinating is how the crowd still shows up in the cold like they’re queuing for concert tickets. A 70-year-old camping out overnight. Texans choosing Norfolk drizzle over 80 degrees back home. Canadians making this their daughter’s big present. We can talk all we want about polls and declining youth support, but on the ground, the royal brand clearly still moves people – and not just Brits.
If the monarchy wants to survive another generation, this is the playbook: fewer scandals, more adorable children in well-tailored coats. Less “disastrous BBC interview,” more “seven-year-old hugging a giant truffle.” It’s sentimental, it’s calculated, and it’s absolutely working the crowd.
Receipts
Confirmed
- King Charles, Queen Camilla, the Prince and Princess of Wales and their three children attended the Christmas Day church service and walk at Sandringham, along with other senior royals such as Prince Edward, Sophie, Princess Anne, and Zara and Mike Tindall, per a December 25, 2025 report in a UK tabloid’s U.S. edition.
- Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie were present at Sandringham, while Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson were not on the guest list for the second consecutive Christmas, according to the same report.
- Crowds of several hundred fans queued for hours, with at least one 70-year-old fan reportedly camping overnight, and visitors traveling from the United States and Canada.
- Prince Andrew’s reputation and public role were severely damaged by his association with Jeffrey Epstein and his 2019 televised interview, after which Buckingham Palace announced he would step back from public duties. He later settled a civil sexual assault lawsuit in the U.S. in 2022 without admitting liability, as reported by major British and international news outlets and confirmed in legal filings.
Unverified / Reported as Rumor
- Pre-Christmas speculation that Beatrice and Eugenie would spend the holiday elsewhere this year was described as “rumours” in the tabloid report and not backed by on-record statements.
Backstory (For Casual Readers)
For anyone who doesn’t schedule their December around royal coverage, a quick refresher. Sandringham is the royal family’s country estate in Norfolk, long used by the late Queen Elizabeth II and now by King Charles. Each Christmas, senior royals walk from the main house to the small St Mary Magdalene Church on the estate, with the public allowed to line the route, offer flowers, small gifts and, occasionally, very large chocolates.
After Queen Elizabeth died in 2022, Charles became king and handed the “Prince of Wales” title to his elder son William, making Kate the Princess of Wales. Their children – George, Charlotte and Louis – have grown up in front of the cameras, slowly taking on more public-facing moments like this church walk.
Prince Andrew, Charles’s younger brother, was once a prominent working royal. That ended after his friendship with Jeffrey Epstein and allegations raised by Virginia Giuffre sparked huge public backlash. A widely criticized 2019 TV interview and a later civil lawsuit – which Andrew settled while denying wrongdoing – led to him stepping back from official duties and losing his honorary military titles. Sarah Ferguson, his ex-wife, has had her own long history of tabloid drama, though she remains close to Andrew and their daughters, Beatrice and Eugenie.
In recent years, Charles has been associated with the idea of a “slimmed-down monarchy,” where fewer royals carry out official duties and the institution presents a more streamlined, less sprawling public image. Who appears – or doesn’t appear – at major family moments like Sandringham is part of that story.
What’s Next
If this Sandringham walk is a preview, expect the Wales kids to be increasingly front and center at carefully chosen events: school-age, relatable, and (so far) blissfully uncontroversial. It’s the monarchy’s best argument for its own future – not in speeches, but in photo ops.
The more interesting long game is what happens with the “in-between” royals. Beatrice and Eugenie are clearly still welcome for big family moments, but will they stay largely private citizens with fancy titles, or be slowly pulled into more public roles if the working roster gets too thin?
As for Andrew and Fergie, two Christmases off the Sandringham guest list sends a clear signal. The palace may never issue a dramatic press release saying “that’s it, they’re done,” but the repeated absence speaks volumes. Watch future big-ticket events – Trooping the Colour, jubilees, milestone birthdays – to see whether they remain behind the scenes.
All of this sits against a backdrop of generational change. Polls in recent years have shown younger Brits feel less attached to the monarchy than their parents and grandparents. That means moments like this – where the institution looks soft, stable, and slightly like a Hallmark movie – matter more than ever.
Sources: Reporting from a UK tabloid newspaper’s U.S. edition on the Sandringham Christmas Day walk (Dec. 25, 2025); publicly available BBC Newsnight interview with Prince Andrew (Nov. 2019); official Buckingham Palace statements on Prince Andrew stepping back from public duties (2019-2022).
Over to you: Does this kind of carefully polished family moment make you feel warmer toward the royals, or does it all read as staged PR at this point?
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