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Royal tradition! King Charles III<\/strong><\/a>, Queen Consort Camilla<\/strong><\/a> and more royal family members will begin their holiday celebrations<\/a> at Sandringham Church this year.<\/p>\n Buckingham Palace announced the family\u2019s plans<\/a> in a press release on Monday, December 19, per royal correspondent Omid Scobie<\/strong><\/a>. \u201cTheir Majesties The King and The Queen Consort accompanied by Members of the Royal Family will attend the Morning Service on Christmas Day at Sandringham Church on Sunday 25th December 2022,\u201d the announcement read.<\/p>\n The British royals have traditionally spent the holidays at Queen Elizabeth II<\/a>\u2018s Sandringham House<\/a> in Norfolk, England, often visiting a country church to worship on Christmas Day. This year marks the family\u2019s first Christmas season without the queen<\/a>, who died at age 96 in September.<\/p>\n \u201cIt will be extremely sad not to have the queen there,\u201d a source exclusively told Us Weekly<\/em> earlier this month, adding that the festivities will feel \u201cbittersweet\u201d in Her Majesty\u2019s absence. \u201c[She] would not want them to mope or let that detract everyone from coming together and enjoying the occasion.\u201d<\/p>\n Charles, 74, immediately assumed his rightful place on the throne<\/a> after his mother\u2019s death. He is set to deliver the annual Christmas address<\/a> to the Commonwealth this year and will \u201cundoubtedly pay tribute to the queen in his speech and privately within the family,\u201d the insider told Us<\/em>.<\/p>\n As the royal relatives gather together, Elizabeth will surely remain on their minds and hearts. \u201cThey\u2019ll share fond memories, raise glasses and likely make speeches about the wonderful life and legacy she\u2019s left behind,\u201d the source added. \u201cThere\u2019s a shared commitment among the whole family to stay true to her values and carry on with the wonderful work she did during her time as monarch.\u201d<\/p>\n While honoring old family traditions, Charles is \u201cequally determined\u201d to freshen up the holiday season<\/a> with a few \u201cmore modern\u201d ideas. According to the insider, Prince William<\/strong><\/a> and Princess Kate<\/strong><\/a> \u201care extremely key\u201d in the king\u2019s vision for the monarchy\u2019s future.<\/p>\n The Prince and Princess of Wales, both 40, were joined by Charles and Camilla<\/a> on Thursday, December 15, for Kate\u2019s second annual holiday concert<\/a> at Westminster Abbey, which will be broadcast on ITV Christmas Eve. Prince George<\/a>, 9, and Princess Charlotte<\/a>, 7, matched their parents in festive maroon attire, while little brother Prince Louis<\/a>, 4, appeared to stay home.<\/p>\n The showing of family unity in London came as Prince Harry<\/strong><\/a> and Meghan Markle<\/strong><\/a> discussed their 2020 departure from their senior duties in Netflix\u2019s Harry & Meghan<\/em><\/a>. The six-part docuseries<\/a> concluded on Thursday and shed new light on the couple\u2019s decision to leave their royal roles.<\/p>\n During the final episode, Harry, 38, shared an update on where he stands with his father and brother<\/a>, admitting that it was \u201creally hard\u201d to return to the U.K.<\/a> in April 2021 for Prince Philip\u2019s funeral. \u201cI\u2019ve had to make peace with the fact that we\u2019re probably never gonna get genuine accountability or a genuine apology,\u201d the Spare<\/em> author told the cameras. \u201cMy wife and I, we\u2019re moving on. We\u2019re focused on what\u2019s coming next<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n The former military pilot and the Suits<\/em> alum, 41, moved to California in mid-2020<\/a> after announcing their step back earlier that year. In February 2021, the palace confirmed that the Archewell cofounders \u2014 who share Archie<\/a>, 3, and Lilibet<\/a>, 18 months \u2014 would not return as senior working royals.<\/p>\n \u201cI miss the weird family gatherings when we\u2019re all sort of brought together under one roof for, you know, certain times of the year \u2014 that I miss,\u201d Harry confessed in episode 6<\/a>. \u201cBeing part of the institution meant that I was in the U.K. So, I miss the U.K. [and] I miss my friends. I\u2019ve lost a few friends in this process as well.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
\n King Charles III and Camilla Queen Consort during the State Banquet at Buckingham Palace<\/span> Chris Jackson\/WPA Pool\/Shutterstock<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n