What you need to know
Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis are once again the center of royal holiday attention with their annual Christmas Day outing.
The royal siblings appeared in court on Thursday, December 25, along with their parents Duchess Kate and Prince William, both 43, on their way to morning service at St Mary Magdalene Church on the grounds of Sandringham.
As they headed to the service, Prince George and Princess Charlotte took their seats on the outside next to their parents, while Prince Louis walked between Prince William and Duchess Kate in the center.
Princess Charlotte coordinated with her mother and wore a brown coat for the occasion. Prince George and Prince Louis wore suits like their father, while Prince William added a patterned scarf to his winter look.
After the service, Welsh children were seen following in the footsteps of their parents and greeting members of the public lining the pavement. Princess Charlotte shook her mother’s hand, scooped up stuffed animals, flowers and chocolates with her siblings, and confidently stopped to meet well-wishers.
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Meanwhile, Duchess Kate was presented with flowers and spent a lot of time chatting with those gathered, especially a visitor in a wheelchair, as her reputation within the royal family was that she was the person who remained the longest to speak to the public on such holiday walks.
Prince George, 12, Princess Charlotte, 10, and Prince Louis, 7, rarely appear in public, but in recent years they have joined the royal family at Christmas. Prince George and Princess Charlotte first attended the outing in 2019, and their younger brother Prince Louis attended for the first time in 2022.
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George, Charlotte, and Louis usually bring home small gifts such as flowers, stuffed animals, and treats, which they are allowed to keep.
According to the official Royal Gifts Policy (per Hello!), members of the royal family can accept gifts from individuals they don’t know personally, including members of the public, but the gifts must meet certain criteria. Generally, items must have low monetary value and cost less than $188.
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It is a tradition for the British royal family to celebrate Christmas by gathering at their Sandringham estate, 110 miles north of London, and has done so for generations. Prince William grew up going on the same outings he still takes his children on.
On Christmas Eve, they exchange inexpensive gag gifts, including the leather toilet seat that Princess Anne gave her brother King Charles one year, and the “Raise Your Own Girlfriend” kit that Duchess Kate gave her brother-in-law Prince Harry before he met Meghan Markle.
After going to church on Christmas Day, they have lunch at Sandringham House and watch King Charles’ annual Christmas broadcast on TV at 3pm.
The last time the Prince and Princess of Wales were out with their three children was on December 5th, at another holiday event, Kate, Duchess of Wales’ ‘Together at Christmas’ carol service. The annual event, now in its fifth year, featured the couple color-coordinating with their children in green and navy attire as they sat together in Westminster Abbey for music performances and readings.
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PEOPLE’s Christmas at the Palace edition has been updated!
