Prince Andrew joins royal family at Sandringham for Christmas Day service
The royal family marked Christmas Day by attending the traditional festive church service on the King’s Sandringham estate. For the second year in succession the disgraced Duke of York walked to church with the family. Royal fans gathered as the Prince and Princess of Wales walked hand in hand with their children Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis from Sandringham house on their way to St Mary Magdalene Church.
They walked behind the King and Queen, who were greeted by about a thousand local residents, many of whom had waited hours on Christmas[1] morning to catch a glimpse of the family. Andrew’s alleged links to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein will come under further scrutiny in the new year with the release of hundreds of files from a defamation case, after a ruling by a US judge. His ex-wife, Sarah, Duchess of York appeared in public at Sandringham for the first time in years, walking beside her ex-husband and smiling broadly at the press.
It has been decades since Sarah made the short walk from Sandringham House to St Mary Magdalene Church with royals – normally reserved for close family – but in recent years it is thought she has been a guest for Christmas lunch. She has won plaudits in recent months for her battle with breast cancer, praised for speaking openly about her treatment and setting an example for other women to get screened. It is thought the last time she was pictured walking to church with Queen Elizabeth was in the early 1990s
Andrew and Sarah’s daughters were with their husbands, Princess Beatrice with Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi and Prince Eugenie with Jack Brooksbank. After the service, Andrew and Sarah joined the King and Queen and Prince and Princess of Wales, meeting the waiting public during a walkabout. Andrew could be seen laughing and throwing up his hands as he joked with well-wishes and the Duchess collected flowers and spoke to many of those waiting.
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References
- ^ Christmas (www.walesonline.co.uk)
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