Royal style: Deck the halls with crowns and corgis!

[QueenOfTheAndals]

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Camilla and PA noting their coordinating colours 1:38.

I Like PW's little stroke of the DoC's arm as they entered the church. I wonder if the dm will make such a fuss about that as they did about her apparent 'shrug' on the Mary Berry show.

Sorry, at 0:59 for Princess Anne and Camilla

I think George & Charlotte at 6.5 & 4.5 years seem too little to be doing the Sandringham church thing.
It's a great ask to expect a small child to sit quietly through a church service for an hour. Unless there was a childrens corner in the church with books, crayons, colouring in books, quiet toys for when the kids start to get fidgety. (Both village churches have one.)
My first thoughts were they shouldn't have had G&C doing the meet & greet, they're too young & it must be overwhelming with all of the flashes, camera shutters, phones going off.
Didn't like the it that Charlotte was having to have a hug off a possible stranger & Charlotte did look a bit wary.
But on second thoughts I still thing maybe G&C are too little, however it's a small, known & relatively safe environment to introduce the children to this kind of thing. The hug lady may have already been known to the RF & Charlotte told that 'Mrs Nice Lady in the wheelchair' would give her hug.
Kate did look a little uneasy to start with (as we all would as mothers) & I lay the blame at Andrew's door for the circus of having G&C included in the Sandringham event.
I hope Charlotte got to keep her pink flamingo as she seemed very taken with it. Maybe the flamingo was her reward for her very good behaviour. I hope so as she was brilliant!

Sad news for the Norwegian royal Family. Those poor girls. Poor Ari, he must have been seriously unwell.

I lay the blame at Andrew's door for the circus of having G&C included in the Sandringham event.

So the Cambridge PR team thought it a good idea.

Well the Cambridge PR or however wouldn't have needed to if Andrew had allegedly kept the contents of his underpants to himself.
However for all we know maybe the family thought it was time the children got involved or even the children wittered on non stop about going.

*She said: “It was amazing. I’ve been waiting for this day for a long time. I’ve never seen the Royal Family before."

She gave Kate some roses and Charlotte an inflatable flamingo and said she seemed pleased with the gift.“

She said 'Thank you'," Ms Clark said, adding that the flamingo was called Felicity. “But Charlotte may call it whatever she likes now.”*

A quote from the lady that hugged Charlotte she wasn't known to them in anyway.

They are young and the do seem to little for any of this but I guess the flip side is this will be their 'jobs' it's all part of the royal role. So I guess the Cambridge's think small groups of happy crowds like this is the best way to start to get them used to it.

It's definitely one of the parts of being royal that I would want nothing to do with! I can completely see why Harry and Meghan didn't want Archie to have a title.

My main impressions were (in no particular order):
Lots of beige/oatmeal.
Lots of head bands.
Glad A wasn't there.
Liked Kate's coat.
When she wasn't putting out the 100 wt smile she looked stressed and drawn.
The children should not have been marched out in front of everyone like that.

Charlotte and George did not look as if they had a nice time at all. Imagine having to explain to your child that they'll have to do that every single xmas morning from now on. Urgh.

Royal - related: pics of Pippa and Carole on the beach in St Barts are online tonight.

I don't think you'll see the children there next year. V likely to be a Bucklebury Christmas for them. Whilst Peter and Autumn weren't there, the Countess and presumably the Earl of Snowdon was so bit of guest rotation going on.

Feel so very sorry for them all. Talk about having to play the game.

Well in fact I don't feel sorry for them at all really. Bed, made, lie in it and all that.

Anyway it is all just PR and it is tightly controlled all the time.

Bet they are in their PJs right now and couldn't give a fk outside of the camera's eye. Good luck to them. I would not swop places for all the tea in China or whatever the saying is.

How I would love to be on the beach with Carole & Pippa right now in St Barts right now! The lucky ducks.

Oops too many right nows.
Should say
How I would love to be on the beach at St Barts with Carole & Pippa right now.

Rather be at home than in the Carribbean TBH. Am very happy in my nest and will cope.

If you look at Flight Radar24 it looks like the world is escaping. But I doubt it. Just changing one life for another.

Best time to go away in Winter is the day schools re open. If you have no kids (other story) like me. And that is what we will do mid January.

me too might shift this cough and cold.

Male Royals do love a good double breasted brown, herringbone coat dont they?

Long time lurker here. I loved Kate's coat.

I'm probably projecting hugely but I think of the videos of the church walk, I think the children looked really uncomfortable. I also think in the moments where she was caught off guard the DoC looked uncomfortable too. I know it's hard to tell but I do think both William and Kate seemed really receptive to how the children felt - there's a few clips of Kate pulling Charlotte in for reassurance. I'd be very surprised if they do it again next year.

I really wish they hadn’t taken the kids. They are far too young and it’s unnecessary. Very surprised William agreed to that given his relationship with the media . I think the release of the photo was enough to give people their Christmas Royal kids fix.

I agree about the kids and Kate looking stressed - i wonder how the decision was made? About them doing the walk. Was it a ''discussion'' with Kate protesting? Was it her idea but then she regretted it? Was it a decree from higher up and there can be no argument? We'll never know, but it's fascinating and a bit sad.

I too don't think they'll do it next year. W&K will do xmas elsewhere and it'll be quite different. We'll all be watching out to see if Harry and Meghan will be there. Will they do the walk and leave Archie at home, or go by car with him or do the walk with a push chair.

Harry and Meghan wouldn't do that I think. They want privacy so that walk would be the anthesis of Archie being a private citizen.

Prior to the Queen, were royal Christmases always held at Sandringham? I assume there's no specific protocol, so would Charles as King automatically do the same? Not trying to be a doom monger, but just curious?

Sandringham was bought for Edward VII when he was still PoW.

Dutch royals' Xmas card. Maximum Maxima!

Oh honestly, this walkaround was planned to take the heat of Andy.

Bet they all don't give a shit now it's all over for another year. Whew.

Kids born into this maelstrom will have to get used to it though. That is the reality.

If I were George and Charlotte I would be pissed off too! They had to leave their Santa toys at Anmer, get dressed up, get driven to Sandringham, sit in church probably bored out of their brains, then walk out in front of all those clicking flashing cameras... if I were W&K I would have flatly refused - but I bet they were following PR directive and had little choice. I doubt we'll see the kids again until the summer, other than official birthday pics.

If we are paying for their lifestyles I want to see the kids!

That is the bargain. But money talks and BS walks as usual.

Anyway there is a thing going on where we will see pics as they decide from now on. Correct?