Christmas Day walk in Sandringham

[Phase42]

This is such a strange thing....so the royal family walk along a stretch of path every year and people gather to watch them. These people try to talk to the Wales children and give them presents. They are photographing the children, taking selfies, etc. I think the kids are far too young to do this. It is so odd.

How on earth do William & Catherine think this is okay?!

Can't link right now as away but other sources have run the same story.

Regardless, my original point stands.

The whole pap walk with randoms allowed within grasping distance is entirely at odds with the enforced perimeter we know has been imposed regardless of its area.

It’s been happening almost every year since the 1980s - so a good 40 odd years of it. Flowers and small gifts have always been a feature but the children didn’t accept them until recently.

William has been doing this walk since he was Louis’ age.

The Sandringham footage from recent years genuinely drives me mad - purely because so many people in that crowd behave like absolute idiots.

I still cannot understand why fully grown men and women think it’s normal to ask a 10-year-old child (usually Charlotte) for a selfie. It’s not normal. At all.

That said, yes - some responsibility does fall on William and Catherine. They will absolutely be aware of this behaviour. They have security briefings, advisers, and they’re not living under a rock when it comes to social media. If they don’t see the TikToks themselves, someone definitely does and shows them. So they know people are asking their children for photos, hugs, attention, the lot.

I imagine the kids are told not to say no themselves because that opens a whole other can of worms of them being 'rude' - but they have more than enough security present for someone to step in and say “no selfies” if they really wanted to. They choose not to. Whether we agree with it or not, if the parents aren’t stopping it, we can only watch it continue.

It did feel slightly calmer than last year, though. There were so many videos of people waving chocolates at Louis - “Do you want this?” “Louis, look, chocolate!” - like he was some kind of zoo attraction. Do they genuinely think he’s going to go back and eat some random chocolate from a stranger? They know full well it’ll be binned immediately. Peak stupidity. You really can’t help stupid, sadly.

And don’t even get me started on the man who constantly bangs on about Diana. He needs to stop. Catherine saying “I see you everywhere” tells you they absolutely recognise him. Both William and Catherine were visibly uncomfortable - smiles plastered on, obviously - when he brought up Diana to them… and to George. He didn’t know Diana personally, so telling George “she would be proud” was completely inappropriate and not his place at all.

People saying “oh he’s not mentally well” - sorry, no. If you can follow the Royal Family up and down the country, turn up at Sandringham on Christmas morning, and wait for hours, you’re perfectly aware of what you’re saying. Some people just don’t understand boundaries.

There’s a TikTok of Sandringham on Christmas Day back in the 70s/80s - people standing quietly, admiring, waving. Calm, respectful, graceful. Sadly, today it’s just hooligan vibes.

Why? Because they think they are entitled to receive things from the poor people as their right? That worked out well for Uncle Andrew! I thought William wanted to do things differently. Clearly that doesn't apply to his family's expectation that they are fawned over.

The pictures of the busyness/intrusion of the crowd in any year depends on whether the picture shows the RF walking TO church or FROM. When they're walking to church it's about 3 minutes to 11 and they've got to be round that door by 11. I doubt if they stop to chat on that inward journey.

I really think that the people who have lovingly chosen chocolates for the royal children will imagine those children excitedly and gratefully wolfing them down later. The givers won't imagine their gifts will go in the bin.

The RF has a touch of fairy dust about them for some people, and like pop stars or soap characters, people get way too invested in their lives and think they know them. That's the only reason I can think of for why people would give up their Christmas morning to be within touching distance of them. Maybe they too will be sprinkled with the fairy dust?

It's 2.3 miles in total. Starts at Cranborne gate goes up to Prince Consort Drive, so no where near the 6 miles the media are saying and doesn't actually block much of the park. The locals are getting worked up because they can't walk their dogs when there are two big free car parks further down the road, and they had to drive a bit further to get their Christmas trees.

The house is actually not that far from the A332 which is a busy road from Ascot to Windsor, am surprised they wanted that particular house when there are others more secluded.

When did the selfie thing become the norm? I am sure, in the not so distant past, I’ve seen footage where royals had politely refused selfies and explained it wasn’t allowed.
Whether that was for reasons of time, hygiene, security, protocol, who knows?
But I am sure they previously declined. So I’m wondering if things have relaxed since Charles succeeded his mother.

Hmm.

Cue entirely new forever home incoming? 🤓

I agree that ideally Louis should have said thank you but he is 7 so will forget sometimes and I can only imagine how weird the whole thing must appear to him.

I would also think it must be pretty stressful for William and Kate - interacting with the people making sure they are seen as approachable and 'huggers' and also keeping an eye on the children.

I just think that the easiest way going forward would be for the spectators to be told no gifts and selfies or hugs and staff should interject if people tried to do that.

Yeah, that's what I was trying to say, you've explained it much better.

It must be stressful for them, but they MUST have approved the changes surely? But I can see it would be very difficult to rein it back now. Next year will be interesting….

It is the most ridiculous spectacle these days. I really think some rules need to be in place. No gifts, no selfies WITH CHILDREN ESPECIALLY. does People are welcome to bring donations of gifts for local charities but that’s it. These people giving sweets to the royal children are in dream land if they honestly think the kids are going to eat the stuff that could have come from anywhere.

And lo, it came to pass in the days when Charles was king, that a decree went out from the palace that all who would come to Sandringham would not paw the Princess Charlotte, neither offer sweetmeats to any member of the Royal Family, nor teddies, and that whilst on the walk, the aforementioned Charlotte should be accompanied closely by a tall equerry in a Savile Row overcoat, with a loaded sharpshooter in his inside pocket.

As the Windsors become increasingly unpopular ( I do not believe they were ever particularly popular ) the children will be used more and more for likes

Kate and William are already selling them out the media in an attempt to boost their
( William and Kate’s ) image .

Do not blame the lonely people who turn up on Christmas Day . This disgraceful spectacle re the children is all of the Windsors’ own making.

I don't think any 10 year old should be 'pawed' by strangers to be fair. It is all incredibly weird and clearly a lot of the spectators can not be relied upon to behave in a socially acceptable way.

I can’t imagine a stranger telling my dc that my dead mum would be proud of them. Why do these people think that is ok?

@IAmKerplunk

They think it’s ok because Windsor Inc have encouraged and developed this parasocial relationship in order to shore up their popularity and to distract from the financial greed, pedophiles and pedophile protectors rife among the Windsors.

‘spectators cannot be relied on behave in a socially acceptable way ‘

This is the wrong way round . The children should not be on display in this way .
They are sold to those with a parasocial relationship with the Windsors .

The Windsors are exploiting the children more and more as the entire sinister dysfunction institution is coming under more scrutiny. This exploitation has always been used by the Windsors since the age of mass media but it has intensified as more questions are being asked about exactly why we have these billionaires feeding off the people.

That’s a very well written view I can’t disagree with!

I still think it’s an odd thing to say to a child.

The Royals and the public can’t exist without a parasocial relationship though can they? If nobody cared or bought into it they wouldn’t exist in the same manner.

I think society is generally more touchy feely - I mean no one expected the late Queen to hug anyone and the children 40 years ago did the walk without being touched.

But it is all very weird indeed. What they need is a surly 'Kevin the teenager' type to kick off ;)

Why not though? Its like social media ' influencers' who film every minute of their child's life. They must think the long term financial benefit is worth exploiting their children in some way. But William will be Head of State whether we like it or not. I can only assume he wants the RF to continue as it is ( no reduction in houses, money given by taxpayers, profits, privilege) and thinks using his children as pawns will benefit them in the future as they wont then have to get jobs outside of Royalling. But if he, as he said he wants to do, is going to reduce his already minimal Royal duties, what are 3 kids and possibly their spouses going to be doing?

Just because it was acceptable 40 years ago doesn't necessarily mean that it's appropriate for 2025.

The children of Edward and Sophie have done these walks too.. they keep their heads down and stay in the centre, stay away from fawning fans. The Wales family could take take a leaf out of their book.

I would hate for my children to be in a situation where there are loads of cameras pointing at them - the chances of the children saying or doing something they shouldn't is high because they're children. It seems such an easy thing to put a stop to - it does make me view W & C differently.

@Clockyclockz

They way I see it is that the particularly medieval style monarchy which is imposed on the UK needs to keep looking over its shoulder, trying to keep ahead of the legitimate criticism .

Adding their names to multiple charities as ‘patrons’ was one wheeze they came up with decades ago - people see through that now so it will be abandoned.

Walkabouts were rarely done until Elizabeth and the men in grey realised they needed to compete with mass media . It then became the main ‘job’ . That has been abandoned now that they risk people shouting at them - they ship in school children or do ‘surprise’ drop ins.

The use of the children as props for ‘we are just like you, frazzled school run parents’ is 90% of the half hearted ‘job’ that William is attempting . That’s it . That’s his version of the charity patron scam / walkabout scam .
This now involves George and Charlotte working for the Firm . This leads directly to the exploitation of the children on the pap walks .

Louis is already set up as the fall guy for George . He’ll be writing a book in a couple of decades , hopefully with the whole rip off gone .