I’m not ready to talk about or think about Christmas right now. I don’t get into the Christmas spirit until after Halloween. But the Windsors are different, and their Christmas plans began months ago. King Charles had a big Christmas celebration last year, his second as king, inviting some of his extended family and Camilla’s family to Sandringham and doing a big show of walking to church on Christmas day. But this year has been hard on Charles, given his cancer diagnosis and his treatment. So it’s time for Prince William and Kate to start throwing their weight around and making Christmas all about them! So says Tom Sykes at the Daily Beast, who wrote a very long-winded piece about how Will and Kate might do a social media video about their very normal, middle-class Christmas at Anmer Hall. Some highlights:
A very Middleton Christmas: Royal Christmas customs beloved of generations of sovereigns are facing the chop due to King Charles’ health crisis. Prince William, and his wife, Kate Middleton, will put a heavy stamp on the royal Christmas this year, the Daily Beast has been told. William and Kate are expected to host a “rival Christmas party” at their home on the Sandringham estate, Anmer Hall, with Kate’s family including her parents, Mike and Carole, in attendance. It will be notable for its studied informality.
A quieter Sandringham Christmas: A friend of Andrew’s told The Daily Beast: “It will be a quieter Christmas than last year, but the question is, how quiet? Usually everyone would know what bits they are invited to by now. This year, it’s just wait and see.” Some things never change, however, and sources say the bloodthirsty royal tradition of a pheasant and partridge shooting party on Boxing Day (the day after Christmas) will go ahead as usual, although Charles is expected to make at best a fleeting appearance, with the honor of leading the shoot falling to William instead. The traditional, full-family Christmas walk to church is planned to proceed as normal.
Christmas is about to get less religious: One source said this means there will be much more messaging this year from William and Kate’s camp of a “middle class flavor,” emphasizing eating chocolate, movie marathons, and generally sliding off the couch in a tryptophan haze like everyone else. The source, a former courtier who worked with William and Kate, said they had been told the couple (neither of whom are especially religious) would take to social media over the holidays, sharing moments of their family Christmas. “A little social media of the family eating chocolate and watching TV would be a very effective way of showing how normal Christmas is at Anmer Hall compared to what we hear about at Sandringham,” the source said.
Abandoning the Germanic traditions: Another out-of-touch habit that it is said to be high on Kate’s list of things to change is the royal custom of handing out presents on Christmas Eve, instead of giving gifts on Christmas Day as is usual in England. The Germanic tradition was established by Queen Victoria and Prince Albert in deference to his Teutonic roots. Queen Elizabeth, a great admirer of Victoria, approved of the unusual gift-giving schedule, sources have previously told The Daily Beast, as she disliked extravagance and overt expressions of consumerism. She preferred Christmas Day to have a sacred note. William and Kate have long been considered likely to scrap the custom of gift-giving on Christmas Eve, which they are acutely aware paints them as “weird” to the general public, when they ascend to the throne. The tradition is expected to survive in some form this year, but it will be depleted.
Presents are for Christmas morning: A friend of William and Kate’s told The Daily Beast: “Kate has always found the presents on Christmas Eve thing weird. It is definitely going to be got rid of when they are officially running things. I imagine it will continue this year at Sandringham in some shape or form but everything is going to be much more relaxed and have a middle-class flavor at Anmer Hall. You can bet your bottom dollar they will be doing proper presents for each other and the kids there on Christmas Day.”
The Waleses will skip Christmas lunch too: The Waleses have often not attended Christmas Day lunch at the “big house” at Sandringham, preferring the informality of a relaxed lunch at Anmer Hall, and they are unlikely to attend this year, especially if Queen Camilla again invites her son Tom Parker Bowles. William doesn’t much like Camilla, despite having made peace with his father’s choices, and is made nervous by Tom’s somewhat louche lifestyle, sources have previously told the Daily Beast.
A Christmas coup: The friend said that William was “enthusiastic about embracing Kate‘s much more normal conception of Christmas,” adding, “It’s always been a slightly covert, rival Christmas party at their house, but it’s going to be much more obvious this year. If they post pictures, it’ll be an official coup attempt.”
The “normal & boring” brand: A communications executive who previously worked with Kate and William told The Daily Beast: “William and Kate have made an incredibly successful brand out of being normal and boring, but the crazy royal customs at Christmas threaten all that. It’s particularly damaging to their reputation because Christmas is the one time that everybody in the whole country actually pays attention to the royals, and it risks getting overshadowed by stories about these strange, elitist, aristocratic habits. It’s not surprising they want to change the narrative as they prepare to take the throne themselves.”
The mention of William’s dislike of Tom Parker Bowles is interesting, because I suspect that at the “big house” at Sandringham, it will be another huge showing for the Parker Bowles clan. Camilla will once again invite her kids and grandkids and maybe even her ex-husband. Meanwhile, she’s ensuring that there’s a Christmas wedge between Charles and the only son he speaks to regularly. Camilla is fine with the arrangement of Will and Kate going off to Anmer to have their private, middle-class Christmas. Charles is fine with it as well. And if Will and Kate really do post videos from inside Anmer of their Christmas celebration… lmao. I mean, it won’t be a “coup,” but it will be desperate and funny. But I’m with Kate on “presents should be opened on Christmas morning.”
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images, Kensington Palace.
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- A still of Catherine, Princess of Wales, from the Royal Carols: Together at Christmas promo which airs on ITV1 on 07 December at 9.45pm. The Carol Service will take place tomorrow at Westminster Abbey and will be broadcast on ITV1 and ITVX on Christmas Eve at 7:45pm.,Image: 827596021, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: *** NO UK USE FOR 48 HRS ***, Model Release: no, Credit line: Royal Carols: Together at Christmas / Avalon
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- Catherine, Princess of Wales, Princess Charlotte, Prince George and Prince Louis attend Christmas Day service at St Mary Magdalene church, Sandringham, United Kingdom, on 25 December 2023.,Image: 832317072, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: *** NO UK USE FOR 48 HRS ***, Model Release: no, Credit line: Arthur Edwards / Avalon
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- Catherine, Princess of Wales, Prince George and Prince Louis attend Christmas Day service at St Mary Magdalene church, Sandringham, United Kingdom, on 25 December 2023.,Image: 832317075, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: *** NO UK USE FOR 48 HRS ***, Model Release: no, Credit line: Arthur Edwards / Avalon
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- Sandringham, UNITED KINGDOM – Members of the Royal Family attend Christmas Day service at St Mary Magdalene Church in Sandringham, Norfolk. Pictured: Catherine, Princess of Wales BACKGRID USA 25 DECEMBER 2023 USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
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- King Charles III, accompanied by Camilla Queen Consort and members of the extended Royal Family, attend the traditional Christmas Day morning service at St. Mary Magdelene Church on the Sandringham estate in Norfolk Where: King’s Lynn, Norfolk, United Kingdom When: 25 Dec 2022 Credit: John Rainford/Cover Images **NOT AVAILABLE FOR PUBLICATION IN THE UK**
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- Members of the British Royal Family attend the Christmas Day service at Sandringham Featuring: Catherine Princess of Wales, Princess Charlotte, Prince George, Prince William, Prince Louis, Mia Tindall Where: Sandringham, Norfolk, United Kingdom When: 25 Dec 2023 Credit: Cover Images
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- Members of the British Royal Family attend the Christmas Day service at Sandringham Featuring: Prince George, Prince Louis, Catherine Princess of Wales Where: Sandringham, Norfolk, United Kingdom When: 25 Dec 2023 Credit: Cover Images
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- Brad Pitt attends the 26th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards at The Shrine Auditorium on January 19, 2020 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Emma McIntyre/SAG/Turner) NO USA SALES – Editorial Use Only
No thanks.
Same here no thanks. Don’t need an over produced lying video but it seems that is all they do these days is over produced lying videos.
Another overproduced Wales trick indeed. Nothing says informal fun like “studied informality,” LOL. They can’t even get being “normal humans” right…
Aren’t coups supposed to be surprises? Charles and Cam will school them publicly by Sunday.
At least it’s alliterative. A Christmas coup has a festive ring to it, kind of like a festive glance.
“A Christmas Coup” sounds like a Hallmark movie title lol
@Jan 😂😂
The reference to ‘louche’ TPB is interesting (and correct) but it’s the word ‘weird’ slipping in that caught my eye. I mean we know they’re massive racists and would love to turn the clock back on society but starting to align themselves with the US Republicans? Interesting choice!
That said, so much of royal tradition/protocol is SO weird it’s not incorrect. But it’s what makes them ‘special’ and without that they’re just run of the mill mega-rich folk who don’t pay taxes and look down on everyone else.
I had the same reaction. I think people would like the royals to be approachable and not look down on people, but they should also be special and not boring.
So. They have their own Christmas celebrations. And are setting up a “rival Christmas celebration” but the Royal rats aren’t rioting?
The Wails can have rival events and this isn’t in any way negative. But…
The Sussexes have friends in California and everyone is like OMG ITS A RIVAL COURT. OMG! And no dears. It’s called a “cook out” or a “block party”. Not a rival court.
But the hypocrisy just never ends and I can’t stand it. The flipping gaslighting – the wails have a rival celebration, they are amazing! – while simultaneously screaming that the Sussexes are traitors for attending a bookstore opening …. It’s just too much. ESP right now with the US elections.
The word that caught my eye in that sentence was TPB making Cain “nervous”. Why nervous, pray? Would that be because he knows something about Cain’s ‘Club H’ shenanigans at Highgrove? Does he need TPB to keep quiet about something?
That word caught my eye too, though I think he’ll keep quiet as he’s been promised a title by William as his reward. It’d be funny though if, after he got the reward, he blabbed anyway
Harry used the word louche in Spare about TPB as in “disreputable or sordid in a rakish or appealing way”.
Though I think Harry just meant disreputable and sordid.
TPB has a very bad reputation. When he was younger, he was a big drug dealer to the aristocracy.
I’m sure like his mother, he has many incriminating stories. No wonder William is nervous.
Yeah, William is the louche douche in that family. The propaganda machine is desperately trying to paint Bill as boring (which he is) but his habits are not. Lolz. Thinking about their Christmas fcckery is just the antidote needed for election anxiety.
Nooo, I could see the aristocrats thinking “sure, he’s constantly having affairs and a drug dealer, but he’s quite discreet with the affairs and as much drugs as we go through we really do NEED a dealer who’s one of us and always invited to every party for normal non-drug-dealing reasons.”.
Like, these people do not see crime as being a bad thing, so long as you keep it under the table and don’t get caught. And also are one of them. Really, even if you DO get caught, so long as you can bury it well enough for long enough and make everyone forget about it they don’t care.
Opening presents on Christmas Eve isn’t weird; it’s cosy, it’s intimate, the Christmas tree is at its prettiest–but it’s more for adults than kids, particularly the ones young enough to believe in Santa Claus. Kate’s supposedly an adult, though; then again, she still expects an Easter basket, so I don’t know. What is weird, though, is the whole weighing guests when they arrive & weighing them when they leave. Weird is the great bird slaughter the following day. Weird is walking to church on Sunday & getting to call it work. That’s weird.
I also do it think the Christmas Evening tradition is weired. I always loved it as a child.
I thought they moved from Amner Hall. Queen Mistress really just wants to vaporize Chuckles sons from his life huh?
The general consensus seems to be that they shoved Kate into Adelaide cottage. Without William.
It was believed that it was her and the kids but that’s been an open source of speculation at this point. Many seem to think that George is elsewhere for chunks of time. Obviously this is all alleged and just gossip. But that’s what happens here.
Regardless, I truly hope that all 3 children are and feel safe and loved and treasured – and to the same degree.
From what I’ve heard, the inside of Adelaide was redone decades ago using the remnants of a royal yacht that was being remodeled. Think dark wood and lots of hard on the nose nautical themed items. So. That’s unfortunate.
The move ti Adelaide was speculated to be because of the queens poor health and would allow for straight jump into Windsor castle after her death.
But that didn’t happen. Or if it has, it hasn’t been reported on. Which doesn’t mean it hasn’t, actually. Honestly that kind of makes sense. That they just moved in and Charles was like – oh for F’s sake – and then ignored it like he does with 85% of his problems. The other 15-% he spends the bulk of his power attempting to destroy so that not even dust remains.
The nautical theme… might actually appeal to Kate, given how long she was chasing after Ben Ainslie like a giddy schoolgirl. I still marvel at the ground speed she was able to achieve in those wedges.
Sorry but that person in the main picture isnt Kate. Idk who it is..but it isnt Kate.
Hmmmm.
That video was done before she disappeared. And before her Christmas event, correct?
In which case, I’m assuming what you are seeing is an incredible amount of retouching and maybe some AI?
Can you imagine? She took this video with her hair in one of those black caps and she had white dots all over her face aka how marvel does action scenes for thanos etc al? Omgggg 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
It looks like a fusion of Billie Eilish and Kate. There’s definitely a good amount of retouching and editing.
This seems like a response to the article where kate may not even be invited to Sandringham. It’s clearly a KP sponsored article but at this point no one who wears 32k tiaras is normal or middle class.
They’re talking about a rival Middleton party at Anmer but then also saying William will lead the hunt that day. So how will he be at the Middleton anmer party if he’s out hunting? That said, I don’t know the schedule of these things so it’s v possible he can do both.
The hunt is on the 26th.
So they are telling the media that they plan to spend Christmas Day together being studiously middle class and normal. Nothing weird or concerning here! Normal normal normal. No need to look over here or ask questions! No questions about rose bushes or a sexual kinks. No questions about Williams weight loss. Or questions about Kate’s new enormous scar. Or the health and whereabouts of their children.
Deepest hopes for their children to have a feeling of – and actually being – deeply loved, safe and respected as people and individuals.
@Friendly Crow – remember descriptions of prior years the (then Cambridges) blanked the Sandringham events? The ‘Thoroughly Middle Class Middleton Christmas’? Something about Michael and James wearing inflatable costumes and hamming it up.
I hope this shows up in their “new coup” video. I wanna see Huevo dressed in an inflatable TRex costume trying to shove chocolate Santas in his mouth while the kids monopolize the sofa, watching Doctor Who.
yeah, the idea that they are so normal because after they walk to church in their formal coatdresses with onlookers fawning over them they will return to one of their country estates/mansions and have turkey and watch movies (presumably the turkey is cooked by their chef) and then the next day go hunting…..
so normal. so middle class.
An interesting tidbit though was that the Waleses often miss the christmas lunch at Sandringham.
Why can’t they just go give some gifts to shut-ins the week of Christmas? No one wants that foolishness on Christmas eve/or day. I swear, I’m a nurse and I could arrange better PR for these people.
I have spent a lot of time – way too much – on this site outlining things.
How they should act. What they should do. Etc.
Even down to how I thought they were going to slowly erase K from Royal life.
Imagine my horror when they followed the messaging almost to a T.
As well as many of my other suggestions on how to engage with social media. Although they always get that wrong because they center themselves non stop and that’s not remotely appealing.
Of course, anyone could come up with the same things I did. Regardless – I’ve stopped writing advice for them. Out of an abundance of caution.
But yes. It would be shockingly simple to get them some incredible pr and to rehabilitate their entire image.
So true, but getting “incredible PR” means you have to pay competent people properly to do it, and we all know no one competent would ever want to work for these people and we all know no one ever gets paid properly for doing BP and KP’s dirty work.
“Studied informality” l even when he’s sucking up to the waleses he’s still shady. What a crazy load of hypocrisy. “Often spend Christmas at anmer hall” and yet Harry and Meghan were demonised for wanting to spend ONE Christmas with Archie’s ONLY BLOOD grandma? I thought the royal family wasn’t about change? I thought it was impertinent to suggest things can be done in a different way? Now look at this? Also newsflash to William and Kate: it’s not the aristocratic German traditions that make you weird and out of touch.
That term “studied informality” is such an oxymoron. Informality is not deliberate or carefully contrived, and the BRF couldn’t do informality if their lives depended on it. Everything is strictly curated and full of anachronistic traditions. This only goes to show there’s a very wide gap between Chuck and Cam, and the Wails. This article is all a bunch of fluffy nonsense that pretty much belies the fact that the Houses of Windsor and Wales are deeply divided.
Afken:
It’s not an aristocratic German tradition, it’s a German tradition. We all give our presents on the 24th.
It is a Scandinavian tradition as well. The Christmas celebration is Christmas Eve on the 24th – giftgiving, dancing around the Christmas tree, etc.
French Canadians often do le réveillon which is going to midnight mass and then eating and exchanging presents after. So it’s not really Christmas morning either.
In Mexico gifts are also opened on the 24th. Typically at midnight.
I think the German tradition thing might be part of the RF’s lingering self-consciousness about how they’re not really British, but German. Moving the gift-giving to Christmas Day shows the people that W&M are solidly British, like the solid British middle-class.
Normal, boring Christmas while eating chocolate and watching movies?
And they want to film that so they can put reels on their socials? Why again are people paying hundreds of millions for Normal Bill Middletonedeaf and family?
How will they explain Harry’s brother becoming the head of the Church of England, if he couldn’t care less about religion?
But at least Mr Keenshot Earthflop will keep the shooting tradition alive, lead ammo and all, environment *and* health be damned.
Lead ammo what now???
There’s lead in shotgun shells.
Literally LOLing at their “middle class” BS. Do they really think releasing a video is going to make real people think “oh how middle class of them to open presents on Christmas morning at one of their four mansions.”
I honestly think that they no longer know who their audience is or who they are trying to pander to.
There was pushback on Kate’s family being middle class, seemingly from KP or BP. Then there is push back on them being out of touch and following archaic traditions and looking like total knobs in their centuries out of date royal robes and trappings.
They don’t know who they are talking to or what point they are trying to make anymore.
How is William is going to manage to be less religious when he becomes Head of the Church of England when he becomes king? Is that title going to be scrapped when he takes the crown? He can’t ala carte the role of the sovereign.
That comment caught my eye as well and I had a similar thought.
Wild thought: what if he is thinking of passing on the job wholesale, and wants to make a deal where he stays an aristo/royal and gets a pile of money but doesn’t have to do anything? Would his views on religion, and the telegraphing of how little he cares for the mantle “head of the CoE”, be a sign he wants to bail out?
I mean the man has looked like he’s on the verge of a breakdown most of the year. If he hasn’t had one already, I’d actually be surprised, given what little we’ve seen of his public behaviour. He’s been really off since the Con-a-nation, tbh. Almost as if he feels the future coming and it feels like doom to him instead of a new beginning. Harry did say his brother was “trapped”.
He isn’t interested in the Commonwealth either.
I think this is another misjudgement on their part, to junk the religious figurehead role. I mean, obviously hypocrisy is bad and religion is dying, but if there’s ANYTHING that gives them credence these days it’s the Queen’s tradition of being a public example of faith etc. The only people who are likely to be royalists now are religious – older people who still go to church like my in-laws. Yes, they want to appeal to a new audience (although, why younger people who aren’t religious would be interested in boring people eating chocolate and watching Home Alone again, is beyond me) but it’s a basic point of marketing and PR that you make sure not to alienate your core market first!
So Kate and William have regularly skipped Sandringham Christmas celebrations with the queen. They just show up for the church and shoot. That’s a new nugget of information the media has buried for years. In other words, the queen has never had them regularly. I doubt they have attended since the birth of charlotte. It was while Kate was pregnant with Charlotte that William sprung the Middleton rules on his father and the queen and argued his wife couldn’t adjust to royal life unless she was with her mother 360 days of the year. I wonder how pippa and james feel about every Christmas being at anmer.
It gives them bragging rights, they’ll be happy.
Kate has always been a mummy’s darling.Seems she cannot exist without her devoted mother planning everything in her life.
42 years old and still a child.
It’s really giving “Ma & Pa ̶K̶e̶t̶t̶l̶e̶ Middleton are surrogate parents to the Waleses’ children”, innit? Sounds like Huevo couldn’t stand to be around them when they were weans, and Huesa, being infantilized by her own family, couldn’t cope alone.
Cluck never gaf about any kids – not his own, not his grandchildren, not even the kids/grandkids of “Linda what used to live two trailers down”. I don’t think he likes children. He certainly never treated his like they were his responsibility – he delegated disciplining them and raising them first to Diana, then to the staff.
Calling giving presents on Christmas Eve “weird” is disrespectful to all of the millions of people around the world who celebrate Nochebuena. People don’t think the royals are weird because of their Christmas Eve gift-giving; they think the royals are weird for every other thing they do (protecting pedophiles and sex offenders, exiling family members, etc.)
Yes, that’s an odd thing to pick on. My husband’s very ordinary middle class Canadian family exchange gifts on Christmas Eve because they’re of German extraction. And millions of people all over the world do the same. It’s a bit crappy to pick on that to try to explain away your difference.
I’m not sure that Royals, they’re just like us is a good strategy for W&C. If they’re just boring bland wannabe middle class people what’s the point of them? The pomp and circumstance is the only reason for having them around. Once that’s gone, there’s nothing left. I think there’s a real chance the royal family doesn’t survive William’s reign in its current form. If they’re not religious, don’t attend events, and curtail the pageantry, they’ll do themselves out of even the pretence of a job/function.
We open family presents Christmas Eve, then Santa leaves kids’ gifts overnight.
We’ve always had a family dinner and opened our presents on Xmas Eve and then leave Xmas day for going to church and then, visiting the other side of the family for another luncheon. Lots of people have different traditions. However, for a family supposedly all about tradition, Willnot & Cannot noping out of the Queen’s way of doing things, may not go over well with the Brit traditionalists who are their only fans at this point. (shrug) I guess the Midds are back to getting more sway in how things are done at Amner going forward.
My family (Czech) always exchanged presents on Christmas Eve, as did my husband’s family (French Canadian). Lots of people do — it is more sparkly and magical at night.
We switched to doing it in the morning because when we had little kids it was just too much work getting everything wrapped and prepared in time — we were often up until 2 or 3 am getting it ready. The morning is more relaxed, but not as festive. In our pjs with breakfast kind of relaxed.
It’s such a silly and dumb thing to focus on…
There is not much going for the monarchy these days — it seems irrelevant — and they are ignoring the late Queen Elizabeth’s words about preserving the mystique of the monarchy with silly videos and becoming ordinary. It will beg the question of why the nation is paying a half billion Pounds for such an institution.
A huge bunch of phonies and hypocrites all of them.
I hope they don’t do another video this one about the keen family christmas.
Oh I hope they do!
…and I hope they get slammed for it.
Get ready for matching sweaters. Or matching pajamas.
Was that what last year’s jeans & white shirts picture was all about? Or was it the year before? Here’s us normal people in our normal clothes for our normal Christmas photo.
It tells us so much that this narrative (pushed by KP-friendly Sykes) is of the Wales “winning” Christmas over the other members of their family. They could easily have worded it as hey, like any normal son whose aging father is still in cancer treatment would, William is going to step in and take on more responsibilities this year! Instead it’s all about how he and Kate find the Windsor traditions offputting and “weird”, and they are going to try and appeal directly to their fans which will be a “coup” (a word I would not use around the king!). Who talks this way about their own family? And lord, please, let it not be some shiny unboxing video. Ughhhhh.
Not weird to me. My extended family always exchanged presents on Christmas Eve. That was our big bash. Christmas Day was meant for Church and a quiet dinner with the grandparents. But as kids, we got our Santa Claus presents on Christmas morning.
My family that I spent Christmas Eve with was Polish (everyone is older now and lives all across the U.S. so we don’t get together like we used to). I’ve never actually looked into if Polish traditions were similar to the German ones.
Anyway, if I had to attend one of the two, I’d rather be at Anmer Hall with the Middletons eating chocolate than the painfully boring Sandringham non-party.
I suspect that the English Christmas traditions are the odd ones compared to the rest of Europe. As far as I know most of the Europeans celebrate on the eve of the 24th. But the Brits have always prided themselves of being different from the Continent, which they generally call Europe (understood that they are not a part of Europe).
So we will be treated to an inside look at Anmer, gorgeous decorations, all of Kate’s brilliant touches and the family eating her amazing baked goods that she spent days preparing. But she is too sick to work…
Cue the stories about brave, selfless Kate rallying to make Christmas normal for her children. How can she be expected to work after that?
In the early zoom days we got to see the decor at Anmer and it was that overdone kitschy country manor look. Very obvious that Carole and Kate decorated it.
Then it switched to Sandringham not long after the Oprah interview and the rooms were less over styled. Also this is probably when William said he was done with her and staying at wood farm because Philip was moved to Windsor castle by then. (Spring 2021)
Is this supposed to
portray them as likable? Yikes!
The pomp and tradition has been the mainstay.
Who wants to watch lazy people sit around and eat chocolates from their posh living room
Really, the only thing the Royals have is the pomp and tradition. There are a million other tv shows about “normal, middle-class families” – why should Bill & Cathy be subsidized by the public?
I really don’t get the glee in describing your Christmas plans as a ‘coup’ over your father. This is so weird. What a warped group of people.
It’s hilarious! Who describes their Christmas as a coup? These people are deeply disturbed. It’s the Sandringham Showdown, yeehaw!
Yes, please continue to point out that there is nothing special, unique or divine about this family, please continue to point out how “middle-class and relatable” you are. Please continue with your lazy part-time work so that one day soon, people will start wondering why you are worth spending one pence on.
I thought it was high treason to use words like “coup” when discussing openly one’s plans for when the Sovereign dies and one ascends to the throne. But at least they aren’t eating avocado toast. 🤪
Also, Camilla, girl, you in danger. And I’m here for it! I hope you get the Jeremy Clarkson treatment when Charles passes.
“Rival Court” vibes are strong here.
Indeed.
Lots of families celebrate Christmas on Christmas Eve, especially divorced/blended families and/or families who want to make room for in-laws, etc. My partner’s family does their big Christmas on Christmas Eve because his half-siblings from his mom went to their dad’s on Christmas Day and then his half-brother from his dad came for Christmas Day. Then later, they kept with Christmas Eve because that was their tradition. And it included my partner’s mom’s three ex-husbands and everyone had a great time being together. My sister’s in-laws usually did their big Christmas on Christmas Eve so we adjusted our old Christmas Eve schedule (heavy appetizers, midnight Mass, and a few presents after) to accommodate them and just made Christmas the day with our family. Why are these people so weirdly hostile to each other and then end up insulting so many people. Pretty much everyone with an extended family understands having multi-day Christmas stuff with a different cast of family members doing different things. It seems like Kate’s family are the people who aren’t normal.
I imagine these people make Christmas miserable for everyone who has the misfortune of attending. Since Meghan was decorated their North America 🇨🇦🇺🇸 Christmas tree 🎄 in the Harry and Meghan Docuseries I figured we would see WanK do the same eventually, they are beyond hiding their obsession with copying everything Sussex anymore. I imagine this one will be as tone deaf as the “cancer treatment ends” video that was extremely out of touch and a very creepy and cringe.
Honestly, setting up their own Christmas party is the most boring and middle-class relatable thing that the W&K could do. how many people have in their 40s decided they were fed up with their in-laws Christmas and decided to stay home and do their own Christmas the way they’ve always wanted to do it.
Oh goody. More totally natural, definitely not scripted, video content from the Whales! What will we get this time – Willy and Kate grinding on each other under the Christmas tree at Anmer as their children look on in confusion?
Is opening presents on Christmas Eve really that weird? It’s not just Germanic, my French family does the same too and I bet it’s common in other countries as well. I thought it was a very American tradition to open presents on Christmas Day. It’s what my family does but the few times I went to France for Christmas, it was always Christmas Eve with my French relatives. Not as weird as you think it is, Middleton clan. I do prefer Christmas Day as it’s what I grew up with but I don’t mind Christmas Eve either. This year I believe my sister will be flying to California on Christmas Day to be with her partner’s family so we’ll probably open presents on Christmas Eve.
And I can believe Kate and William will do away with some of the formal Germanic traditions the family has been doing forever when it’s their turn to call the shots. I imagine they’ll still do the Christmas day walk but I also bet the Middletons will be present too. I can’t remember, was Camilla’s family present for the Christmas Day walk to church last year?
All the Italian-American families I know do a lot of Christmas stuff on Christmas Eve, too, including a big feast and opening presents.
French Canadians have a midnight mass tradition and then a meal and gifts after that.
Yikes! The cart is so out front and ahead of the horse, they’re trying desperately for the horse to catch up. Last week it was indicated Bill and the kids would be at Sandringham Xmas with Kate not on the guess list. This week, Bill, Kate and the kids will be at Anmer and they’re going to Zoom and issue photos to prove it. Like my Mom use to tell us, “Just don’t lie, you’ll never have to remember which lie you told.” Lol
All I can say is take everything said, written, filmed by W&K with a huge pinch of salt.
” You can bet your bottom dollar they will be doing proper presents for each other and the kids there on Christmas Day.”
Um, why did he use that phrase here? Is there anyone who wants to know this bad enough you would pay your last dollar? If you’re going to use Americanisms, understand what they mean. I guess they think this makes the article sound like an American wrote it? He uses weird, too. Should someone tell the bm that a lot of Americans aren’t even using msm for their news anymore? I’ve not read the NY Post or other right-wing media, so I’m not going to start now.
I wouldn’t be surpised if KP announced that William and Kate were going to spend Christmas with the Middletons this year.
Yikes, that top photo doesn’t even look like Kate. It looks more like Samantha Cameron. Another one of Kate’s photoshop experiments?
Didn’t they let it be known that BP would understand if Kate wasn’t up to coming to Sandringham for Christmas this year? I think we all got the message that it would be a Parker Bowels party. Also, the Wales’ are putting a lot of stock in believing anyone in the world cares when they open their Christmas gifts.
Side note, as a child Santa Clause came to our Irish/American house on Christmas Eve – you know he has to go to every childs’ home in the world so he does a few early. We went to 5:00 mass and when we got home the gifts were under the tree. As an adult I know it was because my grandparents would visit on Christmas Eve and could enjoy watching us open gifts.
Yes, the PBs clan will be in Sandringham and the Middletons will be exiled at Anmer, but William will be with neither group.
It’s the staff I feel sorry for, imagine the hell of working Christmas with any Middleton in the party.
Scroungers.
William won’t be with Kate, or will show up briefly. And I’m sure he doesn’t want to be with the PB. So where will William be? Alone?
Carole’s flourishes on this story are just over the top–Coup? Weird? Louche lifestyle?
Someone is feeling extremely confident.
I thought it was the opposite: after that article the other day which pretty much said that Kate wasn’t welcome at Sandringham (we’ll understand if you don’t feel up to it), this missive reeks of damage control from the Middletons… Seems someone is feeling very jittery and insecure, as though the control is once again slipping.
Shame someone in the media can’t invite comments from Carol’s creditors. How sickened must they be by now.
Wait for Camilla’s revenge, coming soon. She has her goons in the media too.
We’re all missing the big picture: OF COURSE Kate “and” William need to put out a Christmas video, full of fun and laughter and home cooking and “normal” activities. How else are they going to compete (ha!) with M’s ARO series which they expect to drop in the runup to that time?
The commenters on this blog called it years ago. They are slowly morphing Kate into a different woman. She is now a composite of Meghan and Prince now King Fredrik of Denmark wife Mary. In a few years they will be able to actually remove Kate.
The Windsors under Kate’s son George will no longer be religious. We are seeing the beginning stages now. Which makes no sense because what standing does he then have to be king.
I don’t know if the monarchy will end but I think the Windsors are being phazed out. If religion isn’t involved, especially Christianity, then what are they standing on. They no longer have battles. Religion is going. All that’s left is ceremony. And most of that is religious.
They’ve duped the Brits since feudalism and the first king that he was “anointed by god”, to give them the legitimacy. Early British royalty y learned that aligning with the Anglican Church, the military, the police, and the press would guarantee their power and survival. It’s a long standing scam.
Let the grinding of the Teeth begin. Prince Harry’s Netflix polo documentary drops in December. And I am hoping Meghan’s cooking show drops before Thanksgiving. Plug your ears folks the whining from Salty Shutter Island is going to get loud.
So are we supposed to assume that on the previous times that they weren’t at Sandringham they still continued with the royal traditions that Kate didn’t like in their own home with Kate’s family? It seems to me that in their own space away from the royals at Sandringham they would do their own thing anyway and it wouldn’t take the Queen’s death or Charles being king and any cancer diagnoses for that to change to what they actually like to do for the holidays. It just sounds like they are trying to create an excuse for why an unnecessary holiday commercial(s) will be released during the holidays. They have become the social media royals and are rarely out doing any work for the ridiculous amount of money they receive from the public.
There was the time they set up a rival Christmas walk in Buckleberry with paps waiting at church for them. This was so that Carole and Pippa could be part of the photos. It was before she was pregnant with Louis but Charlotte was a toddler and too young to have been asked in the Sandringham walkabout.
These two have wanted attention pretending to be “normal” for years.
Opening present on Christmas Eve is very French Canadian (hi!) LOL they say German tradition but I will also say Roman Catholic (?) but back in the day gift exchange was happening the night of New Year’s eve and with Christmas commercialisation it was change to Christmas Eve who also was a big night of festivities among French Canadian (and still is) with the Midnight mass. In Canada I alway thought anglophone were celebrating dec 25th and French Canadian dec 24th.
Yes, Latin language countries all celebrate on Christmas Eve.
I am waiting for the British media to have think sessions on television and in all their trashloids about how Kate and willy have disrespected the Queen memory by not upholding her scared traditions and how unroyal it is not to do thing the way the queen and all before her have done it . I am also getting from the way these two are voicing their plans so loudly that chuck won’t be around for next Christmas. This is his last christmas cracker popping. It really makes me mad to see how buttons and wank can spend all the Christmas they wants with her family who live in the same country and not be called names for it and not have it referred to as snubbing the Royals but Meghan was to be stoned for wanting to spend Christmas with her mom . I guess the British media won’t be having a temper tantrum this year when Harry and his family don’t come to see poor suffering chuck because if wank and buttons the future K and Q can blow off Christmas with chuck and his horse . Then surely the irrelevant spare and his wife not coming should not be a problem
Not so sure Chuck has cancer. Already announced another long trip for next year. They probably want to dissipate the “in his deathbed” rumors.
Every description of the ultra-scheduled, formal, uptight Windsor Christmas sounds like a joyless board meeting for adults and an actual punishment for the kids. I don’t blame WandK for wanting to have a chill holiday where kids can be rambunctious and excited—but briefing Tom Sykes about it (while KC has actual cancer) is pretty dark. Imagine the Sussexes doing such a thing (they would never, but if they did they’d be accused of driving the sick monarch to an early grave by abandoning him at what could be his last Christmas)
Ugh, just imagining a Middleton influenced Christmas. Does that mean we should expect Pa Middleton to do the walk to church on Christmas Day in an inflatable sumo wrestler costume? Of course this will be all filmed beforehand in the middle of summer which will give time for Kate to do many takes of her walking and releasing butterflies at the same time.
I’m so exhausted on Christmas Eve by the holiday preparations (which I love, truly) that I cannot imagine going to midnight Mass and then opening presents … but everyone’s right: Everyone should enjoy their own traditions.
I’m just amused by two things: The Daily Beast relying on a friend of Andrew’s for info (anyone who’s still his friend is gross) … and TPB being “louche.” He undoubtedly is, but so is William and so are Andrew and Mike Tindall. Since when is being “louche” frowned up in that garbage family?
Wheresmytiara , I had no idea who Ben Ainslie is so I googled him .
Very interesting , they have been friends for a long time through sailing , he is a sir and Willy got a bit jealous of their closeness .
She positively glowed around him , looked really happy and pretty .
Whatever has happened to her , if she does have cancer or something else , it has certainly sucked the life out of her .and William .
The actual zinger here is buried in the middle like an after thought- that W&K aren’t “especially religious”.
Their royal status is inextricably entwined with the church. They are anointed on coronation and W will be the head of the CofE. If they aren’t religious then they lose their justification for their status.
This is the take. Monarchy is deeply linked with religion. Kings derive their authority from God, from being chosen by God. What makes them extra special without that ? NOTHING.
TOB remains an absolute moron because moving away from the church fundamentally weakens the basis for the scam that is monarchy.
I think this is an ellaborate no-news take based on rumours of Kate deciding to skip the pompous family gathering at Sandrigham under the pretext of her health.
The way I see it, W&K (particularly W) might be starting to pave the way for a comfortable settlement to end monarchy as we inow it. Think filthy rich, discreet public figures that will keep honoring their ancestry and showing up for phillantropic causes, without the pesky courtiers and the centuries-old protocol.
“The source, a former courtier who worked with William and Kate, said they had been told the couple (neither of whom are especially religious) would take to social media over the holidays”
Well Willy… i have news for you, you better get religious fast because you are the next head of the church of England also known as the Supreme Governor and i don’t know how that will work as a non religious person. You’ll abdicate?