King Charles III led a nearly full royal entourage to church on Christmas morning as part of the annual festive celebrations of the Firm. The King was accompanied by the Queen, Prince and Princess of Wales, Princess Anne, and the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh for the special service at St Mary Magdalene’s Church, walking from Sandringham House.
Even Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, along with their spouses, chose to participate in the family celebrations, despite the absence of their father, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor. However, another notable absentee from the Sandringham gathering this year was Peter Phillips, the son of Princess Anne.
Peter opted to spend Christmas with his fiancée, Harriet Sperling, and her family, thus explaining his absence from the traditional festivities with his royal relatives. Harriet, an NHS nurse, had worked during Christmas last year but decided to celebrate quietly with Peter this year.
In August, Peter, the King’s eldest nephew, announced his engagement to Harriet after a year of dating. They received warm wishes from the King and Prince William upon their engagement. Peter, who was previously married to Autumn Kelly, has two daughters and had a relationship with Lindsay Wallace before finding love with Harriet.
The couple made their first public appearance at the Badminton Horse Trials over a year ago and have been seen together at various events, including Wimbledon and Royal Ascot. Notably, Harriet joined the royal procession at Royal Ascot, indicating her integration into the royal circle.
Queen Camilla’s children, Tom Parker Bowles and Laura Lopes, and their families were also absent from the Sandringham celebrations this year. Last year, they spent Christmas at Sandringham but chose not to attend the public church walk on Christmas morning.
In a recent interview, Tom shared that they would alternate years attending the royal residence for Christmas celebrations.