We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you’ve consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time. More info
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s absence from the Christmas Day royal gathering was described as “glaring”. Royal photographer Arthur Edwards was among those taking pictures of the Firm members arriving at St Mary Magdalene Church in Sandringham on Sunday morning for the traditional Christmas Day service. Led by King Charles and Queen Camilla, the group included the Wales family in full, as well as the Wessexes, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie with their husbands and even Prince Andrew, who has made only a handful of public appearances since his disastrous interview with Newsnight in 2019. Speaking of the notable absence of Meghan and Prince Harry, Mr Edwards wrote in The Sun: “Glaring in their absence were Harry and Meghan. Their continuing criticism of the institution in their Netflix documentary has backfired. They are missing out on way more than they’re gaining.” The Sussexes, who raised a number of allegations, claims and criticism against the firm in their Harry & Meghan documentary, were also absent from the King’s Christmas broadcast. The speech clearly put the spotlight only on the working Royal Family and its work highlighting charitable ventures, and named Kate and Prince William while several working members of the Firm were shown in clips at the end of the broadcast.
THIS LIVE BLOG IS NOW CLOSED.
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s absence on Christmas Day was ‘glaring’, it has been claimed (Image: GETTY)
Kate, Princess of Wales and Prince William look set to take on even more responsibility following Megxit, an expert has claimed. Daniela Elser, a royal writer with a lifelong fascination for the Firm, made the point during a piece in the New Zealand Herald.
She wrote: “The remaining HRHs are going to be stretched ever thinner.
“Look a little further into the future and the picture gets even gloomier.
“King Charles and Queen Camilla have only about a decade of international tours left in them, leaving only William and Kate to carry the can for the crown on the world stage.
“Meanwhile, at home in the UK, by the 2030s, aside from the King and Queen, the Waleses and the Wessexes, the only other remaining name on the official working roster will be the indomitable Princess Anne.
“All this will be going on while the Waleses are busy trying to focus on their legacy, big-picture projects, William’s Earthshot Prize and Kate’s Early Years Foundation. How the dickens are they going to be able to fit it all in and occasionally sleep?
And this is before we have gotten to the Waleses’ George, Charlotte and Louis conundrum.
“Since their first bebe arrived in 2013, ‘normal’ has reportedly been their parenting byword, with them trying to give their children the least-skewed, minimally-abnormal childhoods as possible.”
Despite potentially taking on even more responsibility, neither William nor Kate were crowned as the hardest-working royals in 2022.
Prince Andrew will never be the “royal he once was” after King Charles III’s Buckingham Palace snub, an expert has claimed.
The Duke of York, 62, joined other members of the Royal Family outside St Mary Magdalene Church for the traditional Christmas Day service at Sandringham.
However, his inclusion in the Firm’s festivities does not seem to have assured an expert that he will play a leading role in Charles’ inner circle.
Royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams told MailOnline: “Andrew’s appearance at the St Mary Magdalene Church at Sandringham today, comes a day after it was reported that he is now not allowed to have an office in Buckingham Palace, retain a small staff or use it as an address.
“He is clearly on his own and may recruit his own team as he battles to be rehabilitated.
“He is still a member of the Royal Family hence his appearance.
“However, he is not and will never be a senior working royal as he once was, King Charles has made this clear.”
King Charles, 74, ascended to the throne after Queen Elizabeth II’s 70-year reign came to an end following her death in September at the age of 96.
The new monarch appeared to look to freeze his brother out of the Firm, a report in the Sun has claimed.
The future Queen’s style before she married Prince William has been making a resurgence on the social media app.
Kate, Princess of Wales has become a fashion icon for a new generation as her outfits from the early 2000s have become a social media trend for teenagers on TikTok.
Vintage fashion apps which sell second-hand clothing such as Depop and Vinted have taken to creating “Kate Middleton drops”, which are collections of clothing inspired by the royal’s look.
Gen Z users on TikTok have been making photo montages of Kate Middleton’s fashion from when she was in university to popular songs from the early 2000s.
Photographs of the princess captioned as “before she become a royal” have been trending on the social media app.
Songs from the era such as ‘Oops I’ve Did It Again’ by Britney Spears and ‘Teenage Dirtbag’ by the Wheatus have been used by teenagers to showcase the royal’s fashion.
On the app, teenagers have hailed her the “real it-girl” while dressing up in some of her most iconic outfits.
One fan captioned their video: “My new favourite thing is pictures of Kate Middleton partying in London in the 2000s. She looks like she’s having so much fun.”
Another fan of the future Queen wrote on their video: “Why is no one talking about how elite Kate’s style was in the 2000s?”
Another wrote, “Once a fashion icon, always a fashion icon” while one commentator said, “She’s literally everything I want to be”.
Following the Christmas Day service, eagle-eyed fans spotted the uncanny resemblance of Princess Charlotte and the late Queen’s niece.
Lady Sarah Chatto, 58, is the only niece of Queen Elizabeth and was the second child and only daughter of Princess Margaret and her husband Antony Armstrong-Jones.
A childhood photograph of Lady Chatto was placed next to a picture of Princess Charlotte, 7, taken on Christmas Day which shows the uncanny similarities.
The royal is the first cousin of King Charles and lives a private life as a painter, while her doppelgänger is due to be the next Princess Royal.
Twitter page @RoyalFamilyGB posted an unearthed picture of Sarah from 1970 alongside the photo of Charlotte from 2022.
The pair have recognisable features with the same button noses, similar eye and mouth shape, and each wearing a similar half-up hair do.
Royal fans exclaimed on social media:”oh wow! Such a close resemblance! I would have thought that was Charlotte! They are identical.”
Twitter user @SusanRutherfo13 called the two royals “twins. Fifty years apart.”
READ MORE
The adorable prince was spotted giving a touching drawing of Paddington Bear to his mother Kate, Princess of Wales so she could show it to a young royal fan.
Prince Louis took Sandringham by storm on Sunday as he joined many members of the Royal Family for service on Christmas morning.
After he and his family left St Mary Magdalene Church, the boy took part in a walkabout alongside Kate, Prince William and his elder siblings to meet some of the royal fans who waited for hours outside of the chapel.
One royal watcher caught the child on camera as he spotted a beautiful drawing of Paddington standing next to a post letterbox.
The artwork had been given by a royal fan to Lt. Colonel Johnny Thompson.
In the video, Louis can be seen extending his arm towards Lt. Col. Thompson, who dutifully hands over the picture.
The boy then passes it on to his mum as she was speaking to a young girl in a pink coat.
Kate looked at the drawing for a few seconds before showing it to the child she was speaking to.
Kate, who in the past has been dubbed the Children’s Princess by royal fans for her natural aptitude towards youngsters, is later shown leaving with the drawing under her arm while holding Prince Louis by his hand.
The Duchess of Sussex could face a huge backlash from the US over her Netflix documentary series, a Royal Family expert has claimed.
Meghan Markle has been warned some of her “natural allies” in the US have been put off by the “scale of her vanity and arrogance” following the huge backlash to her Netflix documentary series.
The six-part series from Meghan and Prince Harry largely sees the couple complain about their alleged ill treatment from the British press and being able to escape the UK for a new life in the US.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex portray a much happier life at their home in Montecito, California, specifically joining the ranks of Hollywood royalty who call Santa Barbara home.
The couple also make several more allegations against the Royal Family in a move many experts have warned could now destroy all ties with Buckingham Palace and the British people.
But Meghan has been warned the documentary series has backfired badly on the Duchess in her home country, with some of her “natural allies” turning against her.
Nile Gardiner, a Washington-based foreign policy expert and Royal Family fan, told Express.co.uk: “It is striking Meghan has had very little support from the woke liberal elites who haven’t come out in force to defend her.
“The scale of Meghan’s vanity and arrogance has even put off some of her natural allies on the American left.”
Good evening I’m Emma Crabtree, I’ll be bringing you all the latest developments on the Royals for the next few hours. Please feel free to get in touch with me as I work if you have a story or tips to share! Your thoughts are always welcome.
Email: emma.crabtree@reachplc.com
Twitter: @emmacrabtree98
Meghan Markle has been warned some of her “natural allies” in the US have been put off by the “scale of her vanity and arrogance” following the huge backlash to her Netflix documentary series.
The six-part series from Meghan and Prince Harry largely sees the couple complain about their alleged ill treatment from the British press and being able to escape the UK for a new life in the US.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex portray a much happier life at their home in Montecito, California, specifically joining the ranks of Hollywood royalty who call Santa Barbara home.
Read the full story here
King Charles “brushed aside” Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s attempts to attract attention – and their omission from his first Christmas speech as monarch was “significant”, a royal commentator has said.
Jonathan Sacerdoti pointed out that by focusing on the “selflessness and service”, primarily that of non-royals, Charles had delivered a message about “wider human goodness” free from “digs, jibes and complaints”.
Mr Sacerdoti, whose credits include the BBC, Channel 4 News and Sky News, told Express.co.uk: “I think it was significant that he didn’t mention Harry and Meghan but not in the way some might have expected.
“He barely mentioned anyone beyond a very small circle of royals tightly linked to the previous, current and next generation in the succession – his mother, his wife, and the Prince and Princess of Wales.
“Otherwise he focused on non-royals who were making significant contributions to the wider public in need, rather than members of his own family.”
Read the full story here
The Royal Train is one of the Royal Family’s most well-known methods of transport; for decades it has been used by members of the Firm to travel across the country.
It was understood to be the late Queen Elizabeth II’s preferred mode of transport, having made numerous journeys on the nine-carriage train.
However, perhaps lesser known is that the train is also where one of the Royal Family’s most salacious sex scandals supposedly took place.
Read the full story here
The adorable Prince Louis was spotted giving a touching drawing of Paddington Bear to his mother Kate, Princess of Wales so she could show it to a young royal fan.
One royal watcher caught the child on camera as he spotted a beautiful drawing of Paddington standing next to a post letterbox.
The artwork had been given by a royal fan to Lt. Colonel Johnny Thompson.
In the video, Louis can be seen extending his arm towards Lt. Col. Thompson, who dutifully hands over the picture.
Read the full story here
Prince Louis spotted giving Paddington drawing to mum Kate so she can show cute toddler (Image: GETTY)
Princess Beatrice was spotted sharing an adorable moment with her “bonus son” Christopher Woolf Mapelli Mozzi – also known as “Wolfie”.
The boy joined the many members of the Royal Family on Sunday for the traditional Christmas Day morning service.
Walking from Sandringham House, where King Charles and Queen Camilla hosted their relatives, to St Mary Magdalene Church, little Wolfie was seen holding the hands of both his father, Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, and stepmother Beatrice.
The six-year-old, born during Edoardo’s previous relationship with architect Dara Huang, was spotted again as the royals were leaving the chapel.
Read the full story here
Princess Beatrice spotted in adorable moment with stepson Wolfie during royal outing (Image: GETTY)
Mike Tindall has explained why the royal children are seated separately from their parents and other senior members of the Royal Family during the traditional Christmas lunch.
The I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out Of Here! star, who is married to Princess Anne’s daughter Zara Tindall, revealed that during the festive meal, the kids are seated together in a smaller room.
Appearing on a past episode of the podcast JOE UK’s House of Rugby, Mike said: “This is the other one, the family lunch, there must be about 70 of us there – there are seven tables and then the kiddies have their own little one in a different room.”
Read the full story here
Mike and Zara Tindall with their second daughter Lena (Image: GETTY)
Princess Anne was notably absent from the Royal Family’s annual Christmas church trip to St Mary Magdalene Church in Sandringham.
However, the Princess Royal had a very good reason for not attending, as she was reportedly suffering from a cold.
Anne’s children Peter Phillips and Zara Tindall did not miss the service, and joined the King and Queen Consort, the Prince and Princess of Wales, the Earl and Countess of Wessex and Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie among other royals.
Read the full story here
Princess Anne reportedly suffered from a cold over Christmas (Image: GETTY)
The Chairman of The Spectator has suggested life-long broadcaster and respected former BBC journalist David Dimbleby is a “closet republican”.
In a brutally honest review of Mr Dimbleby’s memoir, Keep Talking: A Broadcasting Life, Andrew Neil has highlighted some surprising revelations relating to the Royal Family.
The “unrivalled broadcasting career” of the former Question Time host was praised, but Mr Neil said the book also unmasked a certain “hate” for some royal traditions.
Writing for The Spectator, Mr Neil honoured the extensive career of Mr Dimbleby and explained the memoir had provided insight into his political views and long career within the BBC.
However, Mr Neil added: “More interesting, and perhaps surprising, is that Dimbleby is a bit of a closet republican.”
Read the full story here
Meghan and Harry may have been left upset by King Charles’s decision not to include them in his historic first Christmas broadcast, an expert claims.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are believed to have spent Christmas Day privately in their Montecito home and haven’t released any message either to their fans or in response to the King’s speech.
However, commentator Richard Eden appeared certain there would be “explosions” from the Sussexes after the monarch’s snub.
He wrote on Twitter: “Stand by for more explosions in Montecito! King Charles doesn’t mention Prince Harry or Meghan once in his first Christmas broadcast.”
Read the full story here
Meghan and Prince Harry haven’t released any statement over Christmas (Image: GETTY)
Meghan Markle has been warned some of her “natural allies” in the US have been put off by the “scale of her vanity and arrogance” following the huge backlash to her Netflix documentary series.
Nile Gardiner, a Washington-based foreign policy expert and Royal Family fan, told Express.co.uk: “It is striking Meghan has had very little support from the woke liberal elites who haven’t come out in force to defend her.
“The scale of Meghan’s vanity and arrogance has even put off some of her natural allies on the American left.
“This has backfired spectacularly on Meghan and Harry and this is not the hit they were hoping it would be. It has alienated the British people but it has also failed to garner any significant support in America.
“Americans have no time for her complaints against the British monarchy or complaints of being a victim. Only a small minority in America would have sympathy for her.”
Read the full story here
The adorable four-year-old was caught on camera running towards his sister Princess Charlotte after realising he had remained behind during the royal walkabout on Sunday morning.
The sweet moment was captured by royal wellwisher Karen Anvil, who was one of the members of the public who had gathered to give their best wishes to the family on the first Christmas Day since the death of Queen Elizabeth II in September.
Posting the video on Twitter she wrote: “#PrinceLouis running back to Dad and his brother and sister . . . giving the security guards a heart attack in the process!!!”
See the video here
Prince Louis was caught on camera running (Image: Twitter/ Karen Anvil)
Royal photographer Arthur Edwards described Meghan and Prince Harry’s absence from the Christmas Day royal gathering in Sandringham as “glaring”.
Mr Edwards, who took pictures of the royals led by King Charles arriving at St Mary Magdalene Church on Sunday morning, wrote in The Sun: “Glaring in their absence were Harry and Meghan.
“Their continuing criticism of the institution in their Netflix documentary has backfired.
“They are missing out on way more than they’re gaining.”
The Sussexes, who raised a number of allegations, claims and criticism against the firm in their Harry & Meghan documentary, were also absent from the King’s Christmas broadcast.
Good morning from London. I’m Alice Scarsi, I’ll be bringing you all the latest updates on the Royal Family. Please feel free to get in touch with me as I work if you have a story or tips to share! Your thoughts are always welcome.
Email: alice.scarsi@reachplc.com
See today’s front and back pages, download the newspaper, order back issues and use the historic Daily Express newspaper archive.