'Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose.' – 'The more things change, the more they stay the same.'
For the new Prince and Princess of Wales, the sense of change is in evidence in many ways. Their new titles and responsibilities, a move to Windsor and a new school for the children are but a few of the changes taking place. Behind-the-scenes preparations are underway for the King's Coronation, with tours all over the Commonwealth and engagements across the United Kingdom planned to mark an occasion which will live long in the history books. Just days ago it was confirmed the King's first Trooping the Colour will take place on Saturday 17 June 2023. To coincide with the announcement, it's been confirmed Kate has become Colonel of the Irish Guards (previously held by William). It is a significant honour and a milestone moment as a senior member of the Royal family. William has become the Colonel of the Welsh Guards, while the Queen Consort is Colonel of the Grenadier Guards.
Not only is today the King's first Christmas as monarch, it's the debut of his rather darling grandson Prince Louis, who joined his big brother and sister for what will be the first of many Sandringham Christmas morning walks.
The royals arriving.
Merry Christmas from Sandringham…
— Matt Wilkinson (@MattSunRoyal) December 25, 2022
The King leads members of the Royal Family (including Prince Andrew) and George, Charlotte and Louis, on the Christmas Day walk to St Mary Magdalene’s Church. pic.twitter.com/LgBuABSQk8
Members in attendance included the Wessexes and the Yorks It's understood the Duchess of York will be joining and the Queen Consort's children have been invited meaning she can spend the day with her entire family. Below, Mike, Zara and Lena Tindall. (Princess Anne was absent due to illness).
The Countess of Wessex and Lady Louise.
Princess Margaret's daughter, Lady Sarah Chatto.
The parish church of St Mary Magdalene is one of exceptional historic interest, with memorials to many members and relations of the Royal family, from Queen Victoria onwards. It is considered one of the finest carrstone buildings in existence and dates back in its present form to the 16th century.
The sumptuously decorated chancel with its carved angels frames the silver altar and reredos was presented to Queen Alexandra by the American Rodman Wanamaker as a tribute to King Edward VII. He also presented her with the silver pulpit and a silver 17th-century Spanish processional cross. Other notable features include a Florentine marble font, a Greek 9th-century font and stained glass from the 16th century onwards. Aside from Christmas celebrations, Princess Diana and Princess Eugenie were baptised there, and William and Kate chose it as the venue for Princess Charlotte's christening.
The Wales family departing.
I'm sure George, Charlotte and Louis are excited to enjoy their gifts :)
On his first Christmas walkabout, Louis was delighted to receive a Paddington card.
Kensington Palace shared Christmas wishes this morning with this excellent artwork created by George.
A video of the royals leaving.
The family will sit down to a traditional Christmas lunch at 1.15 pm. Norfolk turkey accompanied by a selection of cold meats and a variety of side dishes is served. The children will be happily wrapped up in their gifts before refreshing walks, festive drinks and board games fill the evening. At 3 pm it's time to take seats and watch the King's Speech. A spot of television will be enjoyed, and we do know the Queen Consort is partial to Strictly Come Dancing. Will the royals watch the Christmas special? Refreshments and cocktails will be enjoyed, followed by a sumptuous dinner and games until midnight.
Kate will have planned long in advance for the day with knowledge it involves no less than five changes of outfit. From coats and boots for walks, to long gowns and jewels, royal ladies need to take a number of looks with them. The Duchess of York famously once said she changed seven times during Christmas Day. And what do you give the family that has everything? Princess Diana realised very early on that giving gifts to family was far more complicated than she initially thought. Generously gifting luxury items including cashmere, she soon discovered the key to the perfect present lay in 'the cheaper, the better'. For example, Prince Harry reportedly once gave his grandmother a shower hat with the slogan 'Ain't life a bitch on it'. Kate is said to have given jars of her home-made strawberry jam, plum preserve and photo frames as presents.
The Princess was festive (and chic) in green today. Kate repeated a bespoke McQueen coat she's worn on several occasions.
The Princess donned a very stylish Philip Treacy hat.
Kate accessorised with a very pretty pair of Sezane Dina earrings in 'ocean blue'.
Kate completed the look with her brown suede Gianvito Rossi boots and matching clutch.
I've been personally reminded of three quotes from Queen Elizabeth II's Christmas speeches over the years recently. It feels more appropriate to share them with all of you today. In a reading during Kate's carol concert, William quoted his grandmother's 2012 speech: "At Christmas, I am always struck by how the spirit of togetherness lies also at the heart of the Christmas story." A reader suggested I include the speech today.
In 2017, Queen Elizabeth II said: "We think of our home as places of warmth, familiarity and love...there is a timeless simplicity to the pull of home."
For Her late Majesty's final Christmas speech, she reflected on the loss of her "strength and stay" with poignant words which now feel almost prophetic and I imagine are comforting to those who loved her dearly...
"For me and my family, even with one familiar laugh missing this year, there will be joy in Christmas, as we have the chance to reminisce, and see anew the wonder of the festive season through the eyes of our young children, of whom we were delighted to welcome four more this year." - Queen Elizabeth II, Christmas Day Speech, 2021.
Kate delivered a fitting tribute to Her late Majesty for Together at Christmas which aired last night on ITV (I'll add a video here once it is available). The Princess wore a Self-Portrait jacket in a clip which was shared earlier this week.
At precisely 3 pm, the King's first Christmas speech aired. As expected, he delivered a poignant tribute to his "beloved mother" from St George's Chapel, where the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh were laid to rest.
As the King filmed his first speech, his mother will have been in his thoughts. Below, the Queen's 1949 Christmas card, with her infant son Charles, signed 'Lilibet'.
On that note, I'm returning to my own family Christmas and taking the day to appreciate the company of those I hold dearest. I wish you all a very Merry Christmas and thank you for stopping by throughout 2022. I'm leaving you with this very festive image of Prince Albert driving Queen Victoria, the Princess Royal and Duchess of Kent in a sleigh through the winter landscape in Brighton, circa 1840s.
Thank you so much for this lovely post and for including the Queen’s precious words. Sue :)
ReplyDeleteI missed Princess Anne. I saw her husband and kids.
ReplyDeleteMerriest of Christmases to you and your family, Charlotte! Thank you for the wonderful Royal coverage throughout the year.
ReplyDeleteLesley from Dallas
Merry Christmas Charlotte! Thank you for taking the time to write this beautiful post :) I went to church at St Mary’s Abbot in Kensington. This is the first time in decades that I will be in a time zone where I can watch the King’s Christmas Speech in real time. Valerie
ReplyDeleteThank you Charlotte! I love the pictures! Merry Christmas!
ReplyDeleteI pushed send too quickly! I wanted to say Merry a Christmas and it’s so nice to see so many of the family members. Love Catherine’s hat but it does block certain photo angles. That reminds me of Grace Kelly getting the same feedback coming in from the boat in to Monaco (before her wedding). Sue
ReplyDeleteMerry Christmas and God’s
ReplyDeleteBlessings to all!
Happy Christmas!
ReplyDeleteMerry Christmas Charlotte! Thanks for the wonderful post. The whole family looked wonderful! Love Kate’s hat!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for this brilliant post and a very Merry Christmas to you all!
ReplyDeleteMake merry, Charlotte, and thanks for all you do.
ReplyDeleteI absolutely adore Prince George’s artwork. I hope the Duchy of Cornwall offers it as a holiday card for charity.
I think Kate's coat is lovely but the hat's color does not match... it would have been better if she paired it with a contrasting color. However, it's lovely to see the royal family together!
ReplyDeleteI like all parts of the Kate’s outfit- coat, hat and earrings. But I am not sure they really work great together. Really torn between it looks great and it’s just slightly off.
ReplyDeletePrince George’s artwork is not too bad for a 9 year old. Maybe he takes after his mother and paternal grandfather in that regard.
Merry Christmas to Charlotte and all her readers!
ReplyDeleteWith the inclusion of so many children, and I thought little Wolfie was adorable, and the lack of the Queen and her husband, it occurred to me that there has indeed been a big generational change. Very to accept for me. George's artwork was splendid! And my news source for that led me to images of pink flowers by Eugenie that were just amazing; I thought they were photographs. Thank you for this lovely post. :)
ReplyDeleteWith the inclusion of so many children, and I thought little Wolfie was adorable, and the lack of the Queen and her husband, it occurred to me that there has indeed been a big generational change. Very to accept for me. George's artwork was splendid! And my news source for that led me to images of pink flowers by Eugenie that were just amazing; I thought they were photographs. Thank you for this lovely post. :)
ReplyDeleteMerry Christmas. How wonderful and fun seeing so many of the family today. Catherine looked lovely. The three kids looked great and seemed to enjoy and handle it all very well. All the cousins looked lovely and it was sweet to see some of the interactions between them. Wish I could have seen an image of Princess Anne. I do wonder however if they really bother anymore with many changes of clothes or getting really dressed up anymore. I could imagine the family having relaxed much of that to make it a more relaxing day for everyone. Ali
ReplyDeleteThank you Charlotte for beautiful coverage today and I love HM the King's speech today. I tried looking on my local pbs station last night but could not find Kate's concert hopefully I can find it online. Nice to see the family all out today I wish Harry and Meghan were there too. Catherine looks beautiful I adore her hat. Wishing you and all your readers a very Happy Christmas and beautiful New Year. Thanks Charlotte for all your hard work on your blogs throughout the year.
ReplyDeleteTo each his own, but I always thought the Royal Family’s Christmas Day agenda seemed very heavy on the outfit-changing routine. I was thinking that maybe Charles (and Camilla) might decide to tone it down, give the attendees a break from what seems like a very dated tradition.
ReplyDeleteNice to know that members of the extended family were together. Remarkable that Fergie remains part of the clan. Her words following the death of the Queen were quite touching. HM really had an amazing ability to be magnanimous to those in her family who might have failed to hold onto the public’s good graces.
What a very thoughtful comment about the Queen regarding Fergie. I think you are right, and feel that the Queen's strong faith, along with her nature, allowed her the capability to be very forgiving. I like that Fergie was invited to attend the festivities at Sandringham, and particularly happy to see that most of the children were allowed on the Christmas walk, especially Beatrice's stepson - adorable! Saw a video somewhere where Mia poked at George while he was talking, and when he didn't respond, she just shrugged her shoulders and moved on; seems that the children all share a close bond. Also there was another video of Louis running to take a posey to Charlotte! It would appear that while Charles is keeping up the traditions, there is a more informal air to it this year and putting his own personal touch to it all.
DeleteI also want to say I miss the Queen today and I am sure the royal family is as well. I sure miss my mother on my first christmas without her. It really is hard without HM the Queen . HM King Charles did very well in his speech.
ReplyDeleteMelissa, I'm so sorry that you had your first Christmas without your mother. I think those of us who are in similar situations feel the lack of the Queen because we can relate. I hope you have a wonderful new year.
DeleteLadies, I don't think you can get through Christmas without thinking of your Mother if she has passed. Usually trying to remember how they did certain dishes ect. Christmas is definitely a time to come together but also to look back and reflect on those who have gone before us. S.😊
DeleteMelissa… I want to tell you that I understand the grief at Christmas with a loved one missing. I lost both my parents this year. They were King Charles’ age. So I also understand how different Christmas must have been for the Royals this year without both Prince Phillip and the Queen. May God give comfort to all who are grieving.
DeleteLove this look on Kate. Love olive green anyway, but this oufit is an absolute gem 👌🏻
ReplyDeleteI found the link to watch Catherine's carol service for those outside of the UK
ReplyDeletehttps://youtu.be/DOXZYt3jlUY
Catherines coat looked lovely, but her hat, beautiful. She looked stunning.
ReplyDeleteHappy Christmas to All! Especially Charlotte for the amazing content and stories this year. Happy to see Kate wear a recycle in her office. I love her earrings. This coat is lovely and I actually like the hat (with a slightly different shade) with it given the trim on the hat seems to be very much inline with the shade of the coat. Love the looks on all of the women.
ReplyDeleteGlad Louie made his first walk - all appears to have gone well. Nice to see Zara and Mike bring their daughter and Peter seems to have brought his daughters as well. I'm sure the celebration this Christmas was different for the family this year. Will Harry and Meghan ever attend this event again? And I have to say, very impressed with Prince George's lovely artwork.
This entire look, especially the hat, is so Pippa! Interesting coat, but I dislike the flaps on the chest area.
ReplyDeleteIt is indeed a year of change.
ReplyDeleteI love the Princess of Wales' boots.
Merry Christmas!
I recognized Kate‘s quite unstyled hair and the hat that is easy to put on by yourself und wondered if it‘s just a bit less formal this year. christmas was so special for my grandma as well and we dressed up more back in the days she was still with us. so I could relate with it… plus kate‘s hairdresser could have the day off as well ;) what do you all think?
ReplyDeletemerry christmas and happy holidays everyone! :)
I really love the family togetherness, royal tradition and strong links to our late Queen Elizabeth. Her Majesty is sadly missed, but King Charles and his stedfast and supportive Queen Camilla are settling in beautifully, the monarchy will go on into the future with Prince William and Princess Catherine by his side and their wonderful children. Last but not least, the royal family is at times flawed, but it will also go on.
ReplyDeleteMerry Christmas!
Royal 👑 Watcher
I love seeing the family on Christmas - a lovely tradition. George is quite the artist. And, the King's Christmas address was brilliant.
ReplyDeleteThis poor kid looks so cold in shorts!! I know it’s a “thing” , but I don’t understand the shorts rule in December.
ReplyDeleteKate is very smiling during her last outings, she seems fulfilled and happy !
ReplyDeleteI really like her earrings, is it something new in her collection ?
Princess Anne was missing in this family picture, I hope her health will soon recover.
Thank you for sharing this last picture of Prince Albert in Brighton, it really reminds me of the magic of Christmas. I am always amazed by all the informations and historical anecdotes that you manage to share with us through your publications. In addition to the respect that emanates from your writing, this is what makes your blog valuable. Merry Christmas to you and see you soon in 2023 !
Louis is super cute
ReplyDeletehttps://twitter.com/ttokinami/status/1607388686425128960?s=46&t=mzIWNMlrSV2TIHdoG_rU_Q
Is this the first year Camila’s family will be joining at Sandringham? If so, I’m sure that will be a huge shift to the holiday.
ReplyDeleteJust a quick comment, two days late: this is a lovely coat on the Princess, beautifully fitted, though perhaps a bit dull in color for the holiday. I noted that all of the coats were subdued in hue and wondered whether this was a nod to the fact that the royal family is more or less still in mourning, though formal mourning is well past.
ReplyDeleteThe hat is to die for, I must say, but the earrings not so much. They're not to my taste, being a bit too akin to chandelier earring styles for daytime wear in my view, and I just don't care for the design. I understand, however, that they were a gift from Prince William.
Prince George has a fair amount of artistic talent for a child his age. It will be interesting to see how that develops. Speaking of art, I love the chromolithograph of the Victorian royal family in the sled. Very charming and festive!
Love your comment Vittoria. I agree there seemed to be a subdued palette of colors this year and thought it very appropriate. The Princess of Wales looked lovely and while I very much liked the color, well the hat was splendid! The earrings weren't to my liking either, thought them a bit too much with everything else, but they were beautiful and they are very much a style that Catherine favors - all in all, a striking look. Looking forward to seeing more art from Prince George, he does seem to have an artistic talent, and am glad that they shared the photo. As always, a wonderful post by Charlotte, and loved that she shared other photos of past Christmas card, a nice nod to Queen Elizabeth.
DeleteI'll have to agree with both of you. While I love the Princess in green, I had expected more from her for Christmas day. Don't get me wrong, love her coat the colour and cut. I love the hat but earrings are not for this outfit. Regardless she still looked beautiful.It was lovely to see all the family together for Christmas.Its being a very hard year for them on so many levels. Hopefully the year ahead Will be better for all the family. S😊
DeleteOops, I've just learned that Prince George's artwork is more or less a copy of a piece by a professional artist named Hannah Dale. I still think he's got some talent -- it's a pretty GOOD copy for a child to have made -- but one should give credit where credit is due.
DeleteYes, in fact the artist of the original piece was very flattered that George had free formed his after her greeting card. Hannah Dale even stated that she recognized he had a talent with an eye for form and color, as his isn't an exact replica. It's a nice start for a budding artist, I remember my grandmother, who was an artist, would give me sample pieces to practice from. I never had near her talent, but always did well in art classes because her lessons were good practice. Besides, with the artistic talent of both his grandfather and his mother, he's bound to be learning from them as well. Still a very good attempt.
DeleteMy overall impression was of the relaxed joyfulness on the faces of the royal family as they paraded to church. Their cheer communicates to us all, I think, that it is OK to be happy even though the beloved Queen is not there. Thank you for this lovely post.
ReplyDeleteIt was lovely to see so much the of the family be able to be together and for traditions to continue. As the king indicated in his speech, those traditions bring such comfort in times of loss and the needed chance to remember. They did all seem so happy to be together. All of children did great, even those who were new to the Christmas walk this year—some very sweet moments of Louis speaking with Camilla on their way out of the church and later his rushing to give Charlotte some flowers he’d gathered. George’s artwork is lovely. Those moments of kindness and joy and togetherness are important to cherish.
ReplyDeleteMerry Christmas and Happy New Year.
TK
In looking back on all the photos, I would have to say all of the ladies' hat game is pretty spot on! Catherine's is 'to die for', very stunning - Zara's is a lovely burgundy color - Sophie's is somewhat jaunty but very beautiful and appropriate - love Lady Louise's hat and especially her dress (the sleeves!) - Camilla's is ...well 'very Camilla'. Think Catherine, Sophie and Lady Louise's hats are very 'English country' and very fitting.
ReplyDeleteMerry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all who celebrate this time of year!
ReplyDeleteI think my original comment got deleted before I submitted it when I went to add my name, it cleared the comment box.
I just had a few quick comments to make - I loved the color and hat Kate chose but I’ve always found the pockets/faux pockets on the front of the jacket to be poor placement.
The kids looked darling and I think we’ll see Louis keeping everyone on their toes in the coming years. I see so much of the Middleton family in his features which I didn’t notice before.
I also loved Beatrice’s outfit and I think it was very nice that her stepson is included now that she has married. I imagine it must be overwhelming for him especially since his last family outing that I recall was the jubilee and they were all sitting together in the stands and not among the general public.
I also love seeing the interactions of the children - they all accepted gifts graciously and at one point one of the kids, either Phillip or Zara’s poked George in the back to get his attention. I have a feeling their Christmas was full of fun with so many children running around.
For all of us who have lost loved ones, holidays are especially hard and it’s so wonderful to see the family coming together when they could have broken apart. This holiday is also an opportunity for them to figure out their new holiday traditions. We lost my grandmother 8 years ago on December 1st so that first holiday was a lot of questions about how to spend the holiday and what traditions to uphold. I imagine these conversations also happened with the Royal Family and we’ll see changes over the coming months and years.
Wishing all of you a wonderful end to 2022 and an even better beginning to 2023!
I meant Peter or Zara, not Phillip. That’s what I get for not proofreading. :-/
DeleteAlaina, +1 on your observation about Wolfie! It is heartwarming to see that he is being accepted and loved. His parents seem to be handling co-parenting in a splendid way, as well as Bea. Also it is great that little Wolfie is fully a part of the royal family as a stepson and a POC. This sends a beatiful message to families everywhere.
DeleteElla
Thank you, Charlotte, for the wonderful post, photos, history, and info you share! This is a beautiful and touching post. It is difficult, at times, to find the joy of public events without her Majesty leading, and her Prince by her side. But, it is wonderful to see the beautiful legacy she has built for us all to enjoy and appreciate. Wishing you and yours the very best of this Christmas Season.
ReplyDeleteThank you for a lovely post and Merry Christmas to you too! I am so happy to see that wonderful wide-brimmed fedora on Kate - she can really carry off that look. Even more though, I love love love Lady Louise's hat! She is really growing up and displaying a great early fashion sense. I have many hats like hers and have struggled to know how to wear them because they are really men's hats. She's got the brim snapped down in front, (very traditional and so stylish) but the bigger decorative ribbon on the front near the right side makes it into a lady's hat. I think its wonderful! I'm going to try that with some of my hats.
ReplyDeleteLovely family, I like how they are progressively introducing the children to their roles and to the public.
ReplyDeleteThe King seems eager to continue with the traditions and it is nice there are so many children.