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Prince George misses out on Christmas Day church visit Prince George misses out on royals’ Christmas Day church visit
(35 minutes later)
The Duchess of Cambridge has apologised to disappointed crowds after not bringing Prince George to the Royal Family’s traditional Christmas Day church service. Hundreds of well-wishers gathered on a crisp Christmas morning to watch the Queen and other members of the royal family attend the traditional church service at Sandringham, Norfolk.
William and Kate joined the Queen, Duke of Edinburgh and others for the religious gathering near the private Sandringham estate in Norfolk. At just 17 months old, Prince George is a little young to sit still in church and was not with his parents, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, who walked hand-in-hand to St Mary Magdalene church. The toddler was understood to be with his nanny at the private estate where, as in previous years, the royal family have assembled for Christmas.
But George was not present among the congregation who included the Prince of Wales and Prince Harry - and neither was the Duchess of Cornwall, who has a bad back. Another absentee from the service was the Duchess of Cornwall, who was suffering from a bad back. A Clarence House spokeswoman said: “The Duchess put her back out earlier in December and has been in pain and is receiving physiotherapy. The doctors have advised against any travel.”
Kate’s parents Michael and Carole Middleton and her siblings James and Pippa also sat among the pews. While the party walked to the church, the 88-year-old Queen arrived separately in a chauffeur-driven car.
After the service the Duchess apologised to a mother and her young daughter, among 2,000 wellwishers outside the church, for not bringing her son. Prince Harry and Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, daughters of the Duke of York, were among the younger royals attending.
When Maddison Neal, aged eight from nearby Dersingham, gave Kate a Milky Bar selection box for George, she replied: “I’m sorry we didn’t bring George but you would have heard him in the church.” After the service William, Kate and Harry talked to children and families in the crowd, some of whom had arrived at 5am to catch a glimpse of the royals. The duchess, who is five months pregnant, told Maddison Neal, eight, from nearby Dersingham: “I’m sorry we didn’t bring George but you would have heard him in church.”
Maddison’s mother Sarah, 37, said: “We were hoping Kate would take the present but we didn’t know if we’d be lucky enough to meet her. Maddison’s mother Sarah, 37, said: “Maddison met George on Sunday at the service at Anmer church. She helped him with his lantern and he blew her a kiss.”
“Maddison met George on Sunday at the service at Anmer church. She helped him with his lantern and he blew her a kiss.” Outside the church, the crowd sang carols including O Come All Ye Faithful, and many of them had flowers to present to the Queen. It was understood that the duchess’s parents, Michael and Carole Middleton, and younger siblings Pippa and James, who all attended the church service, were spending Christmas with the Cambridges at their Anmer Hall home.
Kate is around five months pregnant but there was no hint of her baby bump under her brown double-breasted coat, thought to be from Moloh. Among the well-wishers in the crowd was Mary Young, 20, from Dereham near Norwich, said: “I wanted to come to see Kate. I told her she looked beautiful. She said thank you and that she feels big.
Another well-wisher among the crowds, Mary Young, 20, from Dereham near Norwich, said: “I wanted to come to see Kate. I told her she looked beautiful. She said thank you and that she feels big.
“She doesn’t look it. She also said she was sorry she didn’t bring George.”“She doesn’t look it. She also said she was sorry she didn’t bring George.”
It is thought that the Cambridges, who are now living at Anmer Hall which is close to Sandringham, were having Christmas lunch with the Middletons and not the Queen. Kim Dawson, 43, from Downham Market, came to see the royals with her mother Elise Dawson, 83, from Bedford. William stopped to chat to the pair and the 43-year-old said the duke told her Prince George was doing “really, really well” and that they left him at the nursery because it was a bit cold.
William and Kate walked hand in hand among other members of the Royal Family from nearby Sandringham to St Mary Magdalene Church where the service was held. “But they were looking forward to going back to see what destruction he’s created – George was having a lovely day.”
Other members of the family present included Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie and their father the Duke of York. Patricia Cushing, 65, from the village of Yaxham near Norwich, was joined by her daughter Anne-Marie Fewell and her granddaughters Hannah, five, and Emelie Fewell, four. They said Harry joked about the terrible singing during the church service.
The Earl and Countess of Wessex were with their daughter Lady Louise Windsor and Peter Phillips was joined by his wife Autumn. Cushing said: “Harry asked us if we were able to hear the carols and we said we could, and he said: ‘I hope you didn’t hear us singing – it was horrendous.’
Kim Dawson, 43, from Downham Market, came to see the royals with her mother Elise Dawson, 83, from Bedford.
William stopped to chat to the pair and the 43-year-old said the Duke told her Prince George was doing really really well and that they left him at the nursery because it was a bit cold.
“But they were looking forward to going back to see what destruction he’s created - George was having a lovely day.”
Patricia Cushing, 65, from the village of Yaxham near Norwich who was joined by her daughter Anne-Marie Fewell and her granddaughters Hannah, five, and Emelie Fewell, four, said Harry joked about the terrible singing during the church service.
It was played, via speakers, to the crowds who had gathered to watch the royals arrive and Christmas carols sung included Hark The Herald Angels Sing and O Come All Ye Faithful.
Cushing said: “Harry asked us if we were able to hear the carols and we said we could and he said ‘I hope you didn’t hear us singing - it was horrendous’.
“I think he was joking when he said they had to play a tape of the carol because the singing was so bad.”“I think he was joking when he said they had to play a tape of the carol because the singing was so bad.”
Harry proved popular with the crowds and Jill Lee from the town of Over, Cambridgeshire, stole a kiss from him.Harry proved popular with the crowds and Jill Lee from the town of Over, Cambridgeshire, stole a kiss from him.
She said: “I just said to Harry ‘Happy Christmas’ and he put his face forward and I gave him a kiss and he said ‘You really love Christmas’. She said: “I just said to Harry ‘Happy Christmas’ and he put his face forward and I gave him a kiss and he said, ‘You really love Christmas.’
“He smelt nice and his face was really smooth.”“He smelt nice and his face was really smooth.”