Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
Return of the royals’ traditional Christmas
Charles plans Sandringham bash
BY RUSSELL MYERS
THE King will host his family at the royals’ Sandringham estate for his first Christmas on the throne, Buckingham Palace confirmed yesterday.
The monarch and the Queen Consort will be joined by the wider family as they mark their poignant first Christmas since the death of the Queen in September.
The Mirror revealed last month that Charles would invite his nearest and dearest to the Norfolk estate, including Prince Harry and Meghan.
But the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, who remain engaged in a bitter war of words with the Royal Family after they decided to ditch their roles two years ago, had decided to snub the invitation.
The Prince and Princess of Wales and their three children are expected to attend, as are Charles’s siblings Princess Anne and Prince Edward.
The Duke of York, who was forced to step back from royal duties after paying £12million to the woman who accused him of sexual assault, has not confirmed his attendance.
Royal staff are delighted to be welcoming the royals to the Norfolk estate again, invoking memories of when the Queen hosted her family and gave her annual message there. She spent her last two
Christmases at Windsor due to the pandemic – the first with the Duke of Edinburgh. The royals usually take a morning trip to St Mary Magdalene Church on Christmas Day and greet well-wishers before sitting down together for a family lunch with turkey and all the trimmings.
Charles is also preparing to pre-record his first Christmas broadcast as monarch when he will no doubt reflect on the loss of his mother and her legacy.
Traditionally, members of the Royal Family sit down to watch the televised address when it airs after lunch, usually at 3pm on December 25. Meanwhile, Windsor Castle has been transformed for Christmas with a 20ft tree in St George’s Hall decorated with 3,000 lights and hundreds of regal purple ribbons. It took a team of four staff from the Royal Collection Trust two days to dress the Berkshire royal residence’s festive trees. A handmade angel sits on top of St George’s Hall’s towering Nordmann fir, sourced from Windsor Great Park. The colour scheme at the castle was chosen by Royal Collection Trust curators with the exhibitions team. This year the central tree features purple velvet and satin ribbons and jewel-shaped ornaments.