Kate Middleton and Prince William pick up kids for the holidays

It’s officially Christmas break for Kate Middleton, Prince Williamand their three children, as much as any member of the increasingly busy royal family can take time off. Lambrook School, the Berkshire school attended by Prince George, Princess CharlotteAnd Prince Louisclosed for public holidays on Friday December 13th for a three and a half week break ending January 8th 2025.

FILE PHOTO: LR) Prince Charles, Prince of Wales, Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, Meghan, Duchess of Sussex and Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex arrive for the Christmas service at the Church of St. Mary Magdalene at Sandringham -Property on December 25, 2018 in King’s Lynn, England. (Photo by Stephen Pond/Getty Images)

Stephen Pond/Getty Images

It seems that the school holidays are already fully booked. The annual Together at Christmas The Christmas Carol event is already in their rearview mirrors (the in-person concert took place on December 6, with a UK broadcast planned for Christmas Eve), and the family has headed to their longtime country home, Anmer Hall, the casual abode of Kate Middleton and Prince William , broken into The Royals’ Sandringham Estate. The Georgian-style house, a wedding gift to the couple from Queen Elizabeth II, is reportedly haunted – but ghosts appear to be part of the British Christmas tradition, if Charles Dickens is to be believed.

The family’s tradition also includes the annual family celebration at Sandringham, which begins with a Christmas service at Sandringham Church and is then followed, according to Princess Diana, by a lunch filled with “silly behavior” and inside jokes. According to royal sources, around 40 family members will be present at “one of the biggest family Christmases ever” this year.

British Royals Sarah, Duchess of York, Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother (1900-2002), Prince Andrew, Duke of York and Diana, Princess of Wales (1961-1997), Peter Phillips, Zara Phillips, Prince Charles, Anne, Princess Royal , Prince William and Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon (1930-2002) attend the Christmas service at St. Mary Magdalene Church on the Sandringham estate in Norfolk, England, part. December 25, 1988.

Princess Diana Archive/Getty Images

“The plan is actually for them all to come to Sandringham for a very special Christmas with a large family circle. William and Catherine and the children will be there. “The king and queen want their loved ones to celebrate with them,” a source said Vanity Fair earlier this week.

They are reportedly missing from the guest list Prince Harry And Meghan Markleas well as their children Prince Archie And Princess Lilibet. The couple reportedly remain estranged from William and Kate King Charles III And Queen CamillaHe reportedly invited two of the 40 guests to a celebration at Sandringham in sunny California. Accordingly The Daily ExpressHarry and Meghan invited Harry’s cousin Princess Eugenie, her husband, Jack Brooksbankand their children, August And Serious, to her home in Montecito for the holidays. At the time of publication it is unknown whether this invitation was accepted.