As the Royal Family prepares to gather at Sandringham for the holiday season, two royals won't be in attendance. According to a new report, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie will miss the traditional royal Christmas celebration in favor of their own low-key plans.
Hello! magazine has reported that Eugenie and Beatrice are expected to celebrate Christmas with their respective in-laws, rather than making the trip to Sandringham in Norfolk. Their parents, Sarah Ferguson and Prince Andrew, also won't attend King Charles and Queen Camilla's Christmas Day festivities, instead opting to spend the period together at their home, Royal Lodge in Windsor.
"[I]t was decided earlier this year that Beatrice and Eugenie will spend the festive period with their respective in-laws for the first time since their marriages," Hello! reported. Eugenie wed Jack Brooksbank in October 2018, and the pair share two sons—August and Ernest. Princess Beatrice married Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi in July 2020. The couple are raising daughter Sienna, Mozzi's son Wolfie from a previous relationship, and they're also expecting their second baby.
It was previously reported that Princess Eugenie had been invited to spend Christmas in California with Prince Harry, Meghan Markle, and their children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet. At the time, the Express reported, "It's a very difficult position for Eugenie because she has also been invited to Sandringham."
However, the report also suggested that Eugenie and her husband could join Meghan and Harry after Christmas, instead. "It would be so nice for the children to spend time with their cousins," the source claimed. "The diary is very tight over the holidays but there might be a slot free around New Years' time for everyone to come together at some point."
Meanwhile, The London Times suggested that Prince Andrew could find himself disinvited from Christmas at Sandringham amid multiple scandals. The outlet reported that Charles "could now ban his brother from joining the rest of his family walking to church at Sandringham on Christmas Day" following his association with an alleged Chinese spy.