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| Royal Family attend Sandringham Christmas Day church services | Royal Family attend Sandringham Christmas Day church services |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| Members of the Royal Family are attending Christmas Day church services in Sandringham in Norfolk. | Members of the Royal Family are attending Christmas Day church services in Sandringham in Norfolk. |
| The Queen arrived without her husband, the Duke of Edinburgh, who was released from hospital on Tuesday. | The Queen arrived without her husband, the Duke of Edinburgh, who was released from hospital on Tuesday. |
| Prince Charles and Prince Andrew, who has stepped back from royal duties, arrived for an earlier service at St Mary Magdalene Church. | |
| Other Royal Family members attended the main 11am service, with their arrival watched by a large crowd. | |
| Prince George and Princess Charlotte joined the annual Christmas church gathering for the first time. | |
| There had been mounting speculation over whether Prince Andrew would join the rest of his family at Sandringham today. | |
| The prince has "stepped back" from his royal duties after controversy over his links with billionaire sex offender Jeffery Epstein. | |
| While most off the family arrived in front of crowds lining the roads, Andrew, accompanied by his brother, arrived earlier at a different entrance. | |
| The BBC's royal correspondent Nicholas Witchell said the prince was a "significant absentee" from the main service at 11am. | |
| Our correspondent said: "If he had attended [the main service] a lot of the coverage would have been around him. He has become... something of an embarrassment currently to the Royal Family." | |
| The 11am service was broadcast live to the hundreds of visitors who had gathered outside St Mary Magdalene Church. | |
| Some had queued from the early hours of Wednesday morning in the hope of seeing the Royal Family. | |
| 'Bumpy' year | |
| The Queen's attendance at church precedes her Christmas Day message - in which she will describe 2019 as "quite bumpy". | |
| She will say the path is never "smooth" but "small steps" can heal divisions. | |
| Her message comes after a year of intense political debate over Brexit, as well as a number of personal events affecting the Royal Family, such as the controversy over her son Andrew and her husband's health. | |
| Prince Phillip returned to Sandringham on Christmas Eve after spending four nights in hospital. | Prince Phillip returned to Sandringham on Christmas Eve after spending four nights in hospital. |
| He was taken to King Edward VII's Hospital in London on Friday on the advice of his doctor. | He was taken to King Edward VII's Hospital in London on Friday on the advice of his doctor. |
| The 98-year-old retired from public life in August 2017 and his last public appearance was at Lady Gabriella Windsor's wedding in May. | The 98-year-old retired from public life in August 2017 and his last public appearance was at Lady Gabriella Windsor's wedding in May. |
| Prince Andrew's presence at Wednesday's early service follows a Newsnight interview in which he was questioned about his ties to Jeffrey Epstein. | |
| It was after that interview that it was announced Prince Andrew would retire from public life. | |
| The Earl of Wessex and his daughter Lady Louise Windsor also arrived for the Christmas morning church service. | |
| The Duke and Duchess of Sussex did not attend this year's church service as they are in Canada taking a break from royal duties with their son Archie. | |
| Meanwhile, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have released a new photograph showing the duke kissing his youngest son, Louis, alongside Prince George and Princess Charlotte. | Meanwhile, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have released a new photograph showing the duke kissing his youngest son, Louis, alongside Prince George and Princess Charlotte. |
| The picture was posted by Kensington Palace on Twitter with the message: "Merry Christmas to all our followers!" | The picture was posted by Kensington Palace on Twitter with the message: "Merry Christmas to all our followers!" |
| In her traditional message to the UK and Commonwealth, broadcast on BBC One and Radio 4 at 15:00 GMT on Christmas Day, the Queen will say the path is never "smooth" but "small steps" can heal divisions. | In her traditional message to the UK and Commonwealth, broadcast on BBC One and Radio 4 at 15:00 GMT on Christmas Day, the Queen will say the path is never "smooth" but "small steps" can heal divisions. |
| It is a choice of words which BBC royal correspondent Nicholas Witchell says "will inevitably prompt speculation about what it is that she's referring to". | It is a choice of words which BBC royal correspondent Nicholas Witchell says "will inevitably prompt speculation about what it is that she's referring to". |
| The head of state - who is publicly neutral on political matters - will also use her message to highlight the 75th anniversary of the World War Two D-Day landings. | The head of state - who is publicly neutral on political matters - will also use her message to highlight the 75th anniversary of the World War Two D-Day landings. |
| She will reflect on how former "sworn enemies" joined together in friendly commemorations to mark the milestone this year. | She will reflect on how former "sworn enemies" joined together in friendly commemorations to mark the milestone this year. |