by Royal columnist, Emily Darlow
It’s everyone’s favourite day on the royal calendar and the Christmas walk through Sandringham tops the list every year. We get the full cast: the royal children, the now-adult cousins, the extended family members who pop up once a year and remind us they still exist. Add a dash of Christmas spirit and suddenly it feels like a little extra present we all get to unwrap on Christmas morning.
If Christmas Day at Sandringham is meant to project calm, unity and festive goodwill, then 2025 mostly delivered. But as always, the real story wasn’t in the smiles. It was in the details. Who turned up. Who nearly didn’t. Who absolutely didn’t. And which small prince walked off happy as Larry thanks to a single piece of chocolate.
Because this walk isn’t just about church. It’s about optics. It’s about who’s walking front and centre, who’s been quietly shuffled back, and who has been very deliberately left out of frame altogether. Every coat, every step in the procession, every absence is a message, and Christmas Day is when those messages are at their loudest.
This year’s Sandringham stroll came with a last-minute change of plans, a very noticeable no-show, and one unscripted moment that Palace aides probably sighed over while the rest of us delighted in it. In other words, a very royal Christmas indeed.
Sandringham Walk to Church
The royals kicked off Christmas morning with the traditional walk to St Mary Magdalene Church, drawing crowds eager for a glimpse of the family together. The Prince and Princess of Wales arrived with all three children, front and centre as expected.
Catherine, Princess of Wales went full Christmas with a burgundy tartan Alexander McQueen coat dress, a clear departure from her usual safe neutrals. This was festive, tailored and absolutely intentional. Co-ordinated with Princess Charlotte, it was less casual family outing and more carefully styled Christmas card moment. Kate knows exactly when to dial it up and this was one of those days.
Prince William did his usual crowd work, chatting and waving, but it didn’t take long for attention to drift elsewhere.
Prince Louis was handed a giant Lindt ball chocolate by a well-wisher and immediately decided it was his Christmas now. He clutched it proudly for the entire walk, completely unbothered by protocol, photographers or parental hints. No aides stepped in to take it, no chocolate was confiscated. Within minutes, Louis was everywhere online. It was chaotic, adorable and exactly the kind of unscripted moment the monarchy secretly relies on more than it will ever admit.
The Guest List That Almost Wasn’t
One of the more interesting bits of Christmas Day happened before anyone even left the house.
Princess Beatrice was not expected to attend Sandringham this year and reports earlier in the week suggested she would be spending Christmas elsewhere.
Instead, she made a last-minute decision to join the family for the church service alongside her sister Princess Eugenie and husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi.
The timing raised eyebrows. Beatrice’s appearance felt like a conscious choice rather than a coincidence and immediately sparked speculation about internal conversations and positioning. When attendance is optional, showing up suddenly means something.
The Absence Everyone Clocked
While Beatrice changed her plans, Prince Andrew spent Christmas very differently.
Andrew did not attend the Sandringham church service and was not part of the family walk. Instead, photographs circulated of him on Christmas Day away from the main celebrations, reinforcing his continued separation from public royal life. There was no attempt to fold him discreetly into proceedings and no effort to soften the optics. The message was clear and intentional.
Once a regular fixture of the Sandringham Christmas lineup, Andrew is now officially out of frame. Some would say he no longer has the Royal seal of approval!
Inside Sandringham
After church, the family returned to Sandringham House for Christmas lunch and if anyone was hoping for relaxed family chaos, they would have been disappointed.
Tradition reportedly ruled the day. Outfit changes before lunch, assigned seating and formal table etiquette were all observed. Even the children were expected to follow the rules, with Prince George said to be receiving increasing guidance as he grows into his role. Christmas may be festive, but it is still very much a working day in this family.
The King’s Christmas Speech
The day closed with the Christmas broadcast from King Charles III and while no one was expecting fireworks, the message still managed to do some quiet work.
Charles leaned into compassion and connection, speaking about the importance of kindness in a world that feels increasingly fractured. In one of the more quotable lines, he reminded viewers that “small acts of thoughtfulness can light even the darkest corners” a very Charles way of saying we could all be a bit nicer and maybe log off occasionally. There was also a gentle nudge about stepping away from constant digital noise and reconnecting with people properly, which felt like a polite royal way of saying put the phone down and talk to your family.
There were no references to royal drama, no risky lines and no surprises. Instead, the speech stayed safely in Charles’ comfort zone: service, empathy and steady reassurance. Not headline-grabbing, but very on brand. A King keen to soothe rather than stir, and to keep Christmas Day firmly focused on goodwill rather than gossip.
And just like that, the coats are buttoned, the carols have faded and Sandringham slips quietly back into winter. Christmas Day has been had, the chocolate has been claimed, and the royal family retreats once more behind palace gates.
Merry Christmas to our fellow royal obsessives. Thank you for spending the year sipping the tea with us, watching the titles shuffle, the tiaras sparkle and the drama quietly unfold. It’s been a joy, a privilege and, at times, an absolute delight.
But fear not this is not a farewell, merely an intermission. Join us next week as we begin our summer series delving into some of the most delicious royal scandals of years gone by. The kettle will be on, the gossip plentiful and the tiaras firmly polished.
Until then, royal watchers … enjoy these final days of 2026 where no one knows what day it is and you eat leftovers till the cows come home.
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