George, Charlotte missing at Xmas service

Well-wishers who gathered at the Queen's Sandringham estate to catch a glimpse of Prince George and Princess Charlotte were disappointed.

Prince George and Princess Charlotte stayed inside as the royal family attended their traditional Christmas Day service.

Led by the Queen who arrived in a Bentley wearing a festive red dress coat, the rest of the family made their way from Sandringham House to St Mary Magdalene Church for the service which is held every year on the Sandringham estate.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge smiled warmly as they arrived without their children. Wearing a green coat and matching hat, Kate seemed relaxed as she made conversation with Prince Harry.

They were joined by the Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall, Prince Andrew, the Earl and Countess of Wessex, and Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie.

About 1000 well-wishers gathered in the cold and wet to join in the festivities, which began with the national anthem followed by the hymn Angels from the Realm of Glory.

Earlier Prince William said the family would be in for a challenging Christmas thanks to Prince George.

The British royal knows the two-year-old will not be immune to the excitement experienced by most children on Christmas Eve, and he is likely to keep his dad up all night.

However, the prince and his wife were looking forward to a family Christmas.

"George will be bouncing around like a rabbit. If I get any sleep on Christmas Eve it'll be good," William told Britain's Big Issue magazine.

"It's a very different experience at Christmas, having a family of your own. It'd be nice if we got a white Christmas because we haven't had one in many years."

Princess Charlotte, the royal couple's second child, was born in May and so it will be the couple's first Christmas with two young children, something William admitted will be a challenge, but one he relished.


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Published 25 December 2015 11:08pm
Updated 26 December 2015 2:04pm
Source: AAP


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