With Queen Elizabeth II no longer presiding over the Christmas and New Year celebrations, it’s a chance for the new, streamlined monarchy to reinvent themselves. Read more to learn how they will be celebrating—and to explore the secrets of the Royal Family, don’t miss these Biggest Royal Romance Scandals of All Time.
1 First Christmas Without the Queen
This is the first Christmas without Queen Elizabeth, and according to Bond, the family will be missing the one person who always hosted a special, invitation-only party during the holidays. “It will be full of nostalgia and some good measure of sadness,” Bond says.
“There’s going to be that empty place where the Queen sat. I presume Charles will not sit there unless they choose to leave it empty.“ae0fcc31ae342fd3a1346ebb1f342fcb
2 Old Traditions
What will remain the same is Christmas in Norfolk at Sandringham, close to Prince William and Princess Kate’s home Anmer Hall. The family will continue the tradition of attending Christmas service at St Mary Magdalene Church before the meal.
“It will have all the usual traditions of a Sandringham gathering,” Bond says. “The family will gather but they’ll be lacking their matriarch. Like every other family, they will get used to it but it’ll be slightly different.”
3 New Traditions
According to Bond, Charles will follow his mother’s example of recording the message a few days ahead of time. While the speech will no doubt be “very interesting,” she doesn’t believe the Royal Family will all sit down together to watch anymore but will focus on spending time with each other. “I’m sure he’ll record it a few days before and it’s bound to have some reflection on their loss,” Bond says.
4 Less Formal Christmas
Christmas during Queen Elizabeth’s reign was a notoriously formal affair, to which family members could not attend without an official invitation from Her Majesty. Bond believes Charles will preside over a more relaxed celebration.
“Most families by then will be recovering from their large meal and the day’s festive celebrations. I suspect it will be less formal. It’ll be a bit less buttoned up.”
5 Harry and Meghan
Royal insiders say Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have been invited to Sandringham for Christmas by King Charles but are “unlikely” to attend—and an insider says it’s because of tension over Harry’s upcoming memoir. “Obviously his sons have a standing invitation, but the reality is that no-one is expecting Harry and Meghan to fly over, given that his book is hanging over everything,” the source says.
