The Royal Family will uphold their cherished Christmas Day traditions with a gathering at the Sandringham estate in Norfolk, but the celebrations will once again proceed without the presence of the Duke of York, Prince Andrew.
A Festive Gathering with a Notable Absence
Members of the monarchy are set to convene at the Norfolk residence for their annual festivities on Thursday 25 December 2025. Last year, the Prince of Wales described a bustling scene with 45 family members congregated together. However, the guest list remains officially closed to Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and his former wife, Sarah Ferguson.
Andrew was stripped of his royal duties and military titles and effectively banished from working life as a royal due to his association with the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. His name has recently returned to public discourse following the latest disclosures from the "Epstein files", though the Duke continues to deny any wrongdoing vehemently.
Traditional Celebrations and a Musical Prelude
The day will follow the familiar royal pattern: a walk to the morning church service, a traditional turkey roast with all the trimmings, and gathering to watch the King's Christmas broadcast on television. In his 2024 address, King Charles paid tribute to the "selfless" medical staff who supported him and the Princess of Wales during their cancer treatments.
The celebrations follow a heartwarming pre-recorded moment that aired on Christmas Eve. The Princess of Wales and her daughter, Princess Charlotte, performed a piano duet for Kate's Together at Christmas carol concert. The piece, by Scottish composer Erland Cooper, was recorded last week and featured in the ITV1 screening of the service from Westminster Abbey on 5 December.
A Fresh Start for the Wales Family
The Wales family, comprising Prince William, Princess Kate, and their three children, are spending the festive season together before joining the wider family at Sandringham. They recently moved into their new eight-bedroom "forever home", Forest Lodge in Windsor Great Park, marking a significant fresh start.
This move follows what William called a "brutal" 2024, after the Princess of Wales announced her cancer diagnosis at the start of 2025. Her recovery has been a central focus for the family this year.
In other Christmas messages, the outgoing leader of the Catholic Church in England and Wales, Cardinal Vincent Nichols, used his midnight mass homily at Westminster Cathedral to address societal division, urging congregants to find "consolation and reassurance in the Lord" as a source of unity.
