King and Queen wave to well-wishers on way to Christmas church service in Sandringham
The King and Queen waved to well-wishers as they attended church on Christmas day, after a “brutal” year battling cancer.
Crowds wished the royal family a Merry Christmas as they walked to St Mary Magdalene Church in Sandringham, Norfolk.
Behind the King and Queen were the Prince and Princess of Wales and their children, George, Charlotte and Louis.
William walked hand in hand with Charlotte, and Kate who wore a green coat and hat, smiled at the crowds.
Also in attending the morning service were the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh, the Princess Royal and Zara Tindall.
The King's brother, the Duke of York, who was in Sandringham the last two Christmases, was noticeably absent this year. It is after controversy surrounding his links to an alleged Chinese spy.
His daughter Princess Beatrice was seen in Sandringham with husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi.
Members of the royal family who walked to the service were greeted at the foot of the steps to the church by the Reverend Canon Dr Paul Rhys Williams.
They then headed inside and the national anthem was sung before the first hymn, O Come, All Ye Faithful.
The family will enjoy a Christmas lunch with all the trimmings afterwards at Sandringham House.
Charles and daughter-in-law Kate, the Princess of Wales, were diagnosed with cancer earlier this year.
Last week, it was revealed that the King's cancer treatment was expected to continue into 2025, almost a year since his diagnosis for an enlarged prostate.
The Queen has recently recovered from a bout of pneumonia, which forced her to pull out of a number of official events over the last few weeks.
Earlier this year, William described the past year, in which his wife and father were treated for cancer, as “brutal”.
He said that 2024 has “probably been the hardest year in my life” and a “dreadful” experience.
To reflect on the challenging year with the family's battle with cancer, The King will broadcast his 3pm Christmas message in a tiny hospital chapel, instead of Buckingham Palace.
The King asked to move the broadcast location away from a royal residence and tasked the production team with finding a place that had a health connection but was still a spiritual and community space.
The venue was the Fitzrovia Chapel, once a place of worship and contemplation for patients and medical staff of the Middlesex hospital which surrounded it.
The hospital, which was merged with University College Hospital London, was demolished but the tiny 18th Century chapel was left untouched as the site was redeveloped.
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