If Prince William seemed a bit impressed at the idea of finding himself at Sandringham with 44 other guests at the table on December 25, the committee finally seems to be shrinking. Prince Andrew, embroiled in a spy affair, has decided not to embarrass his brother, Charles III, on Christmas Day. He will therefore spend the end of year holidays at the Royal Lodge, in the company of his ex-wife, Sarah, still united with the man who was her husband for 10 years.
Is it out of solidarity or to renew traditions that Beatrice and Eugenie also decided not to attend the royal Christmas? While Charles III would have needed to see his whole family gathered around him for the end of a very difficult year, his two nieces decided to favor their in-laws. In the Daily MailRebecca English affirms that the two sisters will not parade during the traditional march from Sandringham to the small church of St Mary Magdalene where the Christmas mass is held. In the absence of their parents, they took the opportunity to spend this festive day far from Norfolk, with their husbands’ families. A first since their respective marriages.
Princess Beatrice, pregnant with her second child, whose birth is planned for the spring, will join the family of her husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi. His parents, Nikki and Alex, separated when he and his sister Natalia were very young. Each of his parents is now remarried, his mother Nikki to David Williams-Ellis, and his father Alex, to Ebba Margaretha Antonie von Eckermann. Edoardo grew up with another stepfather, Christopher Shale who died in 2011.
Beatrice’s husband therefore has a half-brother, born from the union of his mother and the politician who died of a heart attack, Alby Shale, to whom he is very close. In homage to his father-in-law, Edoardo named his son Christopher. No one knows if the Christmas holidays will bring together the two couples, as well as the sister and half-brother of the one who married Beatrice of York in 2020.
On the Brooksbank side, the links are simpler. Eugenie’s husband, Jack, has a younger brother Thomas, and she is only left with her mother, Nicola, her father George having died three years ago. Princess Eugenie is very close to her in-laws. In 2018, shortly after her engagement, she said, “They are wonderful people. They are like parents and brothers to me.” Will the Brooksbank family spend the entire holiday season in the UK? It is rumored that Prince Harry and his wife Meghan have invited their beloved cousin to spend a few days in Montecito to end 2024 in style. Eugenie could take advantage of a year without a royal Christmas to treat herself to a few days of celebration with the prince and princess of California.
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