Kate Middleton, Prince William and their children go to church on Christmas

Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis spread Christmas cheer on their way to a Christmas morning church service.

George, 11, Charlotte, 9, and Louis, 6, joined their parents Prince William and Kate, Princess of Wales, as members of the British royal family attended their traditional Christmas service at St Mary Magdalene Church.

King Charles III and Queen Camilla were also among the royal family members who attended church at Sandringham, the king’s estate in Norfolk, England.

Kate wore a long, dark green coat with a matching hat and a green and blue checked scarf around her neck, while Charlotte wore a dark blue mid-length pea coat. George, Louis and Prince William all wore formal navy jackets, the children wore green ties while their father wore a blue one.

King Charles arrived at the church in a tan jacket and an umbrella, while Queen Camilla, who also carried an umbrella, matched Kate’s green coat.

The Christmas morning celebration seemed to be a welcome change for the royal family, which has suffered two cancer diagnoses this year.

In February, Buckingham Palace announced that Charles, 76, had been diagnosed with cancer. The palace has not revealed the type of cancer or the type of treatment Charles underwent.

Just a month later, in March, 42-year-old Kate announced that she too had been diagnosed with cancer.

Like Charles, Kate has not publicly revealed what type of cancer she was diagnosed with. She shared in September that she had completed chemotherapy and was focused on remaining “cancer-free” and gradually returning to work.

Kate Middleton: A timeline of her cancer diagnosis, her surgery, and her absence from public duties

In early December, the Princess hosted one of her favorite annual events, a carol service at Westminster Abbey.

While the royal family appeared united on the way to church on Wednesday, some familiar faces were missing.

Charles’ brother Prince Andrew, Andrew’s daughters Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie and their mother Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York, who accompanied all members of the royal family at Sandringham last year, were not present on Wednesday.

Andrew is no longer a working royal, but has been celebrating Christmas at Sandringham since losing his military titles and royal patronages in 2022.

His absence from this year’s celebrations comes as a Chinese businessman with whom Andrew allegedly had ties was banned from the United Kingdom on national security grounds, according to The Associated Press. Andrew said he only met the man through official channels and never discussed sensitive issues with him.

Buckingham Palace did not comment on the case or the businessman’s alleged connection to Andrew.

Other members of the royal family who did not attend Christmas at Sandringham this year included Charles’ youngest son Prince Harry and his wife Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, as well as their two children Archie and Lilibet. The Sussexes, who now live in California, have not spent Christmas with the royal family since stepping down from their senior royal positions in 2020.

The last time Harry was seen publicly with his royal family members was at Charles and Camilla’s coronation in 2023.

How the British Royal Family celebrates Christmas

This Christmas marks the royal family’s second Christmas together since the coronation of Charles and Camilla and their third Christmas without Queen Elizabeth II, who died in September 2022 at the age of 96.

After the Queen’s death, Charles, Elizabeth’s eldest child, became king and now leads the royal family at their multi-day Christmas celebrations at Sandringham.

Prince William and Kate’s three children: What you should know about George, Charlotte and Louis

Traditionally, members of the royal family hold their gift exchange on Christmas Eve, in keeping with German tradition, where they often exchange funny or homemade gifts.

On Christmas Day, after attending church, the family enjoys lunch at Sandringham before watching the King deliver his annual Christmas message on television.

In the evening the family meets again for a Christmas dinner buffet.

On the day after Christmas, known as Boxing Day in the UK, the royals traditionally take part in a pheasant hunt in the grounds of Sandringham.

Kate Middleton, Prince William and children go to church on Christmas originally appeared on goodmorningamerica.com