Christmas is a time for families to come together, and the royal family is no exception. Following on from his late mother Queen Elizabeth II's tradition of spending the holidays at the Sandringham estate in Norfolk, King Charles was joined by his wife Queen Camilla and other senior royals on Christmas Day 2025.
The British royals start their day with a church service at St. Mary Magdalene Church, followed by a walkabout, where the Prince and Princess of Wales, the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh, Princess Anne and Sir Timothy Laurence, Zara and Mike Tindall and more greet crowds who gather to spread festive cheer.
In the past, we have seen the younger generation of royals, such as William and Kate's youngest son, Prince Louis, or Zara Tindall's second daughter, Lena Tindall, steal the spotlight with their bold personalities, so fans will no doubt be keeping an eagle eye out for relatable parenting moments!
This year will mark the last Christmas at Sandringham before Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie's father, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, relocates to the sprawling estate, after being forced to give up his lease at Royal Lodge and his style, titles and honours following his connections to convicted sex offender, Jeffrey Epstein.
He has been notably absent from the royal festive celebrations since 2019, when he voluntarily stepped back from his royal duties. Last year, he remained at Royal Lodge with his ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, amid the scandal surrounding the Duke's links to an alleged Chinese spy, while their daughter Eugenie also missed the event as she spent the festive period with her in-laws for the first time.
However, both Beatrice and Eugenie made an appearance in 2025. Take a look at the best royal moments…
Royal celebrations
Like many up and down the country, the royals have been embracing a gradual build-up of festivities, starting with the Princess of Wales' Christmas carol service at Westminster Abbey on 6 December, followed by the pre-Christmas lunch at Buckingham Palace, and the exchanging of presents on Christmas Eve.
Prince Harry previously explained in his memoir, Spare: "The whole family gathered to open gifts on Christmas Eve, as always, a German tradition that survived the anglicizing of the family surname from Saxe-Coburg-Gotha to Windsor.
"We were at Sandringham in a big room with a long table covered with white cloth and white name cards. By custom, at the start of the night, each of us located our place, stood before our mound of presents.
"Then suddenly, everyone began opening at the same time. A free-for-all, with scores of family members talking at once and pulling at bows and tearing at wrapping paper."
After the church service on 25 December, the King and Queen will host their family members for a traditional turkey lunch at Sandringham House. The celebrations will culminate in the monarch's pre-recorded Christmas speech televised at 3 pm.