Prince George And Princess Charlotte Attend Christmas Service With Parents But Without Ailing Queen
Prince George and Princess Charlotte enjoyed Christmas service at St Mark’s Church in Englefield on Christmas Day with their parents and with the sweet treats of candy canes instead of attending church with Queen Elizabeth II, who missed the service because of an illness, according to Time.
Little Prince George and Princess Charlotte arrived at the church service near Bucklebury in southern England with their parents Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge and Prince William, Duke of Cambridge Sunday morning. While Prince William and Kate generally attend church services with the queen and the rest of the royal family at the Sandringham church, they spent the holidays with Kate’s family.
Queen Elizabeth has almost never missed the Christmas church service for any reason, so the news of her absence made many worry about the health of the queen, who is reportedly sick with a heavy cold, according to CBS News.
“The Queen continues to recover from a heavy cold and will stay indoors to assist with her recovery,” Buckingham Palace said. “Her Majesty will participate in the royal family Christmas celebrations during the day.”
Despite the queen’s absence from Christmas services, photographs of Prince George emerging from church with a candy cane quickly swept the internet, and the royal tot stole the day.
The queen’s 95-year-old husband, Prince Philip, did also make it to the Sandringham church service despite recently recovering from an illness himself. The palace reported that he was also suffering from a heavy cold earlier in the week. He forego his usual walk to the church and chose to arrive by car, however.
Queen Elizabeth, who is 90-years-old, continues to enjoy generally good health. She has maintained an active schedule in the last year despite traveling less often than in the past, and she managed to deliver her traditional holiday broadcast on Christmas Eve despite her illness.
Prince Charles, The Duchess of Cornwall, the Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Harry, the Earl of Wessex, and Prince Andrew also made it to the Christmas service and were seen making their way from Sandringham House to the church Sunday morning. Prince Harry reportedly spent time talking to local residents after the service and even stopped to pet a dog.
It is a long-standing tradition for Queen Elizabeth and the royal family to attend the Christmas church service, which is a cornerstone of the royal family’s Christmas celebrations. Hundreds of local residents and well-wishers often gather outside the historic church for a glimpse of the the royal family, some of whom arrive before dawn.
The queen has attended the annual service at the church at Sandringhamever ever since the Royal family began visiting Sandringham in 1988 instead of staying at Windsor for Christmas, according to the Telegraph. Sunday was the first time she missed the Christmas service in nearly 30 years.
A palace spokesman said the Queen had no public engagements over the Christmas holiday period, giving her a chance to recover from her illness.
Christmas festivities for the Queen and royal family usually include a gala lunch, among other traditions. The royal family often spends Christmas Day on walks in the countryside, as well.
[Featured Image by Andrew Matthews/Getty Images]
