The middle class is effectively destroying royalty.
Per tradition, Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip invite their children and their spouses, grandchildren, niece, nephew and their children to her Sandringham estate for Christmas.
Quarters become tighter and tighter as the family grows, but everyone is required to be there to celebrate, as this is a tradition upheld since Queen Victoria’s reign.
Only fiances and spouses may accompany their royal beloved, and everyone must pack accordingly. This means outfits for tea, walks on the estate, a black tie Christmas Eve dinner, Christmas Day church service and lunch.
It’s a rather rigid schedule that the everyone sticks to, and the 3pm broadcast of the Queen’s annual Christmas message is one everyone watches together (save for the Queen, who watches it privately).
Changes are happening, though.
Ever since Her Majesty gifted Prince William with a 10-bedroom home, Anmer Hall, on her estate, he and the Duchess of Cambridge have spent a lot of time and money to make it into a country retreat.
The royal couple spent their first Christmas there last year rather than at Sandringham, and broke with protocol by inviting Catherine’s family – Pippa, James, Carole and Michael Middleton.
In fact, the Middletons attended Christmas service with the royals at St. Mary Magdalene, something other royal in-laws never dared to do. I myself was shocked to see them emerge from a side door.
Instead of joining the Windsors back at Sandringham for lunch, William and Catherine hosted the Middletons at Anmer Hall and opened presents with Prince George.
This year will reportedly be no different.
“There are, of course, some old-fashioned courtiers in the palace who resent Kate and William’s remorseless modernizing and democratizing of royal custom,” an aide told The Daily Beast‘s Tom Sykes.
I’ve more or less respected the tradition upheld by the Queen, but am not at all surprised by William’s insistence that he do things his way.
Ever since the prince met Catherine at university, he loved that her family was normal, and not at all stuffy; they would eat breakfast in their PJs, and saunter down to the village pub together.
One can’t blame Catherine for wanting to slowly change tradition to be more about her own growing family, even though it might tick off certain members of the royal family.
I don’t, however, believe Catherine and Carole are in cahoots to overthrow a Very Windsor Christmas, like Celebrity Dirty Laundry claims:
“Carole Middleton’s influence may have been cut off, but the family is not completely out of the game. Kate has begun fighting back and making sure she lets the Queen know she is not afraid of the discord.
“The Duchess has been making quiet moves to show her security and power.”
Such malice!
“You can bet the Queen is once again irate that Kate and the Middletons will be taking over Christmas,” CDL continued. “While the celebrations will undoubtedly be lavish, Queen Elizabeth isn’t happy Carole Middleton will be continuing her commoner influence over Prince George and now, Princess Charlotte.”
Everyone relax. It’s not news that William prefers to create a life for his family that is comfortable and happy, something he has stressed to reporters and courtiers following the death of his mother.
He and Catherine have celebrated Christmas at Sandringham since they were married, with the exception of 2012 when Her Royal Highness suffered from acute morning sickness.
Now, they have a home of their own near the Queen, so they can take part in Christmas Eve with William’s family, which is a bigger deal than Christmas day, as the Windsors follow the German tradition of present-opening then.
A few days before Christmas, the Queen will host a luncheon at Buckingham Palace for more distant members of the royal family who will not be at Sandringham.
