The British royal family has attended the traditional service near their Sandringham residence for the first time since the pandemic. The press sees the joint appearance as a clear sign against Prince Harry and his wife Meghan. In the afternoon, the kingdom is waiting for only the second TV Christmas speech by a monarch.
With scandal Prince Andrew but without Prince Harry, the royal family celebrated the first Christmas without the Queen. With King Charles III. at the helm, the royals returned to the traditional service near their Sandringham residence in eastern England for the first time since the pandemic on Boxing Day. When the temperatures were quite mild, Prince Louis, the youngest son of heir to the throne Prince William and Princess Kate, wore shorts. Numerous onlookers waited hours to catch a glimpse of the royals.
For the royals, Christmas was all about Queen Elizabeth II. Charles' mother died on September 8 after 70 years on the throne. Princess Kate dedicated to the Queen a carol singing she organized at London's Westminster Abbey, which was televised on Christmas Eve. She paid tribute to the Queen's "incredible legacy" that "has deeply inspired many of us".
Kate and William's children, Prince George and Princess Charlotte, sang along loudly. Charles and his wife Queen Camilla were among the 1,800 guests at the event. Kate and daughter Charlotte also wore burgundy coats, as did Queen's granddaughter Zara Tindall. Heir apparent William read an excerpt from the Queen's 2012 Christmas message.
The British media emphasized above all the demonstrative joint appearance of the royals. In doing so, they would have set a sign of unity against the allegations made by William's younger brother Harry and his wife Duchess Meghan in the Netflix series "Harry and Meghan". The second part of the series was posted on December 15th, the day of Kate's Christmas carols.
The fronts between Harry and Meghan, who live in California with their children Archie and Lilibet, and the family in England are considered hardened. The couple have repeatedly accused the palace of lack of support and even racism. In his first speech as king, Charles had declared his love for the two. But with the Netflix series and the release of Harry's autobiography planned for January 10, the alienation has increased, it said in London. Harry declined an invitation to celebrate Christmas together in England.
Among those attending the service in Sandringham were both Charles' brothers, including Prince Andrew, who was involved in a sexual abuse scandal. He appeared with his daughters, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, and their husbands. As the "Sun" recently reported, Andrew is in an increasingly difficult position in the Royal Family. Charles threw the 62-year-old out of Buckingham Palace, the newspaper wrote. Andrew is no longer allowed to use an office there and is no longer allowed to use the city palace as a correspondence address. "Any presence at the palace has officially ended," the newspaper quoted a source as saying.
Charles' first Christmas speech, which the monarch recorded almost two weeks ago, will be broadcast in the afternoon. The tradition was started in 1932 by Charles' great-grandfather, King George V. It was the first time that a king gave the televised Christmas speech. In 1957, Charles' mother Queen Elizabeth II was the first monarch to address the population on television at Christmas. Unlike the British, the royals didn't give presents on Christmas morning. The gift giving traditionally takes place on Christmas Eve - this is due to the German roots of the family.
