King Charles III delivers his first Christmas message

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The Royal Family celebrated their first Christmas without Queen Elizabeth II last week, and in honour of his late mother, King Charles III invited his family to spend the festive period at Sandringham. Queen Elizabeth was known to cherish the annual gathering at her beloved Norfolk estate, an event which saw the royals exchange humorous gifts, attend a Christmas morning church service and sit down to a festive feast. Her Majesty would often stay at Sandringham until February 6 — the anniversary of her father’s death and her accession to the throne — and therefore ring in the New Year at the country home. 

Traditionally, the Queen would invite family members to celebrate the New Year with her, including those who were not able to join her for Christmas. She would attend the New Year’s Eve service at her local church and often hosted a small celebration and reportedly remained up until midnight to make sure she saw in the New Year properly. 

In his private memoirs that contributed to the book, The Royals in Australia, Sir William Heseltine, the Queen’s former private secretary, said: “Nobody felt it right to go to bed before the Queen did.”

While according to Brian Hoey, author of At Home with the Queen, Her Majesty usually enjoys a game of ‘lucky dip’ to celebrate New Year. A footman would bring in a tub filled with sawdust and hidden notes, all of which contained written predictions for the coming year.

The following day, the Queen would attend a service at St Mary Magdalene Church in Sandringham, just as she does on Christmas Day. Later on New Year’s Day, the Queen reportedly enjoyed horse riding with the family. 

Charles and Camilla

According to reports, King Charles will be spending the New Year at Sandringham, continuing his mother’s tradition of attending the church services at St Mary Magdalene. In recent years, the custom had fallen away due to Coronavirus restrictions and the Queen and Prince Philip’s fading health. Therefore, it is hoped that this year, King Charles will restore the tradition. 

He is likely to be accompanied by any friends and family members who didn’t make it to Sandringham for Christmas; one of whom was Princess Anne who wasn’t able to attend church on Christmas Day as she was suffering from a cold. 

However, early in the New Year, the King will be heading to Scotland, breaking one of his mother’s longest-standing traditions. It is understood that the monarch will continue with his existing arrangements of spending as much of the festive season as possible at Birkhall — his Aberdeenshire estate. In previous years, Charles and his wife Queen Camilla have travelled to Birkhall in time for New Year’s Eve. 

Charles will reportedly remain north of the border for several weeks. Like the late Queen, he will continue to work on his ‘red boxes’ and deal with affairs of state, maintaining his usual routine. 

Former BBC royal correspondent, Jennie Bond told Ok! Magazine last week that the King and Queen Consort would “probably be happy up at Birkhall”. 

William and Kate

The Prince and Princess of Wales will be spending the New Year in Berkshire, according to a royal expert. 

Author Jeremy Archer told Ok! Magazine that having spent Christmas at Sandringham, Prince William and Kate, Princess of Wales, will celebrate the New Year with Kate’s parents, Carole and Michael Middleton.

The Middletons live in Bucklebury and have been known to host “lively” New Year’s Eve parties. 

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In 2013, a friend of the Waleses told Express.co.uk that the Duke and Duchess often like to split the holiday between the two families. They said: “William and Kate are just like any normal couple and want to spend time with both families. It’s a situation that millions can identify with and obviously you can’t be in two places at once.”

They added: “William likes being in Sandringham but he also loves the informality of staying with Kate’s parents and just chilling out in a normal family environment. It’s going to be a lively night with a great party atmosphere. The Middletons are always great hosts and like guests to enjoy themselves.” 

Speaking about the upcoming New Year’s Eve, Ms Bond said: “The younger royals will probably want to spend time with their own families, so I think the two or three-day celebrations of the past may, indeed, be a thing of the past…Without the linchpin of the Queen holding together an often fractured family, they may suddenly decide to do their own thing.” 

Harry and Meghan

It is understood that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex will be ringing in the New Year in California, where they have resided for the past couple of years. 

Their plans for this New Year’s Eve remain under wraps, but Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have previously celebrated in style, partying on the French Riviera with friends. 

In December 2017, the newly-engaged couple reportedly travelled to Monte Carlo. A source told MailOnline at the time: “Harry and Meghan were somewhere very private and very expensive. Monte Carlo is party central at this time of year and the word is that the British royals really enjoyed themselves.

“The fun could well have been laid on by Prince Albert, who is a close friend of Harry’s. What’s certain is that they were partying like tycoons. Fun around Monaco is never understated and always costs a fortune!” 

The following year, the Sussexes were expecting their first child so spent a quiet New Year’s Eve at Sandringham. In 2019, they were in Canada for the holiday having chosen to celebrate the festive season with Meghan’s mum, Doria. Since then, the couple has seen in the New Year in the US. 

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