The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
George and Charlotte go to church
Prince and princess attend first service on Christmas Day with the Queen
Prince George and Princess Charlotte have joined the Queen at the royal family’s traditional Christmas Day church service on her Sandringham estate for the first time.
George, 6, and Charlotte, 4, walked the short distance from Sandringham House to St Mary Magdalene Church hand-in-hand with their parents, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.
The Prince of Wales walked alongside them.
One-year-old Prince Louis stayed at the house.
The 93-year-old Queen, wearing a red coat and hat, arrived at the church in a maroon Bentley with the Duchess of Cornwall.
The Duke of Edinburgh, 98, who was discharged from hospital on Christmas Eve, was at Sandringham but did not attend church.
He had spent four nights at the King Edward VII Hospital in London to receive treatment for a “pre-existing condition”.
Philip, who retired from public duties in 2017, did not attend last year’s church service either despite being in good health at the time.
The Duke of York, who has had a tumultuous end to the year after his disastrous appearance on the BBC’s Newsnight programme, walked side by side with Charles to a private service at 9am but did not attend the 11am service.
Andrew remained at Sandringham House to spend time with the Duke of Edinburgh, a source said, which was the Duke of York’s personal decision.
Andrew’s attempt to explain his relationship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein backfired and he was heavily criticised for showing a lack of empathy towards Epstein’s victims and remorse over his friendship with the disgraced financier.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex were also absent this year, instead opting to spend seven-month-old Archie’s first Christmas with the duchess’s mother, Doria Ragland, in Canada.
Others attending the main morning service included Princess Beatrice and her fiancé, Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, the Princess Royal and the Earl and Countess of Wessex.
The Queen walked unaided down the church steps after the service and left in her chauffeured car with Sophie, Countess of Wessex.
The Duchess of Cambridge, holding her daughter’s hand, curtseyed to the Queen from the steps as the car departed.