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State & Ceremonial

Royal Family set to join Queen for Christmas at Sandringham

Members of the Royal Family are set to join The Queen for Christmas at Sandringham House tomorrow, with all members expected to be in attendance this year.

The Royal Family traditionally gather annually at Sandringham for Christmas.

The Royal Family traditionally gather annually at Sandringham for Christmas.

The Queen and Duke of Edinburgh themselves left for Sandringham House on Thursday, setting off from Kings Cross Station in London and travelling by normal scheduled train service to Kings Lyn station, in Norfolk.

With junior members arriving early in the morning and more senior members arriving later, they will be greeted with a timetable of events and be shown to their rooms before joining Her Majesty and other members in one of the drawing rooms for tea.

It is on Christmas eve that the family exchange presents – though by convention, gifts tend to be humorous and not of material value, with The Queen wishing to retain the core values of family at Christmas.

Christmas day itself will consist of breakfast, before the annual Christmas church service with the whole family at Sandringham Parish Church – the only public appearance for the family at Christmas. The family later return to the house before the traditional Christmas dinner is served.

Guests will then sit down to watch The Queen’s Christmas message on television at 3pm, with The Queen apparently leaving the room to watch it alone.

This year, all members of the Royal Family are expected to join Her Majesty including the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge along with Prince George for his first Christmas. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry last year spent Christmas away from Sandringham, with the Duke and Duchess staying with the Middletons in Berkshire and Prince Harry serving away in Afghanistan.

Mike and Zara Tindall will also join The Queen, with Zara expected to give birth to the couple’s first child (and The Queen’s fourth great-grandchild) early in the New Year.

Members of the Royal Family will stay with The Queen at Sandringham until at least Boxing Day, when the traditional Boxing Day shoot takes place. The Queen and Duke of Edinburgh will remain at Sandringham until after Accession Day (6th February), with the Duke typically staying on longer than Her Majesty.

photo credit: Karen Roe via photopin cc

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