King Charles makes big change to Christmas with family - report

The royal family love to follow tradition, particularly when it comes to the festive season.

But the King passed the first reign of his year in September, and it looks like it could be all change for the royals this Christmas.

While Charles and his wife, Queen Camilla, are expected to host the royals at Sandringham House in Norfolk on 25 December, there's been some new additions to the guest list this year.

According to ITV's royal editor, Chris Ship, the Queen has invited her children and grandchildren to have Christmas lunch with the royals this year for the first time.

Camilla is mother to Tom Parker Bowles and Laura Lopes from her previous marriage to Andrew Parker Bowles.

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Tom shares daughter Lola and son Freddy with his former wife Sara Buys, while Laura and her husband Harry are parents to Eliza and twin sons, Gus and Louis.

To accommodate the extra guests this year, Christmas lunch will now reportedly be served in the larger ballroom of Sandringham House rather than the dining room, as has been tradition.

The King and Queen are expected to be joined by the royals at church on Christmas morning. Last year, the Prince and Princess of Wales's youngest child, Prince Louis, then four, made his debut at the annual outing.

It has not been confirmed whether the Duke and Duchess of Sussex will fly over from California.

While the late Queen Elizabeth II would traditionally arrive at King's Lynn station by train to begin her Christmas break, Charles and Camilla travelled to their Norfolk residence privately last year.

The royal family has celebrated the festive season at Sandringham since 1988. In 2020, the late Queen and the late Duke of Edinburgh stayed at Windsor Castle for the holidays for the first time in 33 years, due to the pandemic.

Her Late Majesty also remained at Windsor Castle for a second-year running in 2021, due to a rise in the number of COVID-19 cases. The then Prince Charles and Camilla attended church at St George's Chapel that year.

Christmas returned to Sandringham in 2022 as the King and Queen played host for the first time in their reign.

Celebrations for the royals start on 24 December when the family exchange gifts – paying homage to their German ancestry.

Known as Heiligabend Bescherung - which translates as Christmas Eve exchanging presents - the tradition was popularised by Queen Victoria and Prince Albert.

Afterwards, the royals dress for dinner, with the men in black tie and the ladies in evening gowns, with the table set with the finest dinnerware.

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