The royal family enjoyed a festive reunion as they gathered at Sandringham on Christmas Day. The Prince and Princess of Wales were among the guests, along with Prince William's cousin, Zara Tindall, her husband, Mike, and their daughters, Mia, 11, and Lena, seven.
The families have always enjoyed a close bond and Kate, 43, was spotted sharing a sweet moment with Mia as the royals left the service at St Mary Magdalene Church on Christmas Day.
After shaking hands with the Reverend, a smiling Kate could be seen affectionately putting one arm around the youngster and patting Mia on the shoulder. Watch above.
The Wales and Tindall children are all close in age, with Prince George, 12, Mia, 11, Princess Charlotte, ten, and Prince Louis, seven, who is just two months older than Lena. Mike and Zara's youngest child, Lucas, four, did not attend the church service this year as he is currently too young.
A source tells HELLO! that the Tindalls walked in front of the Waleses on the way to church and that Zara made a remark about having a "big lunch".
Former rugby star Mike, 47, has previously revealed that he's part of a family WhatsApp group, which includes William and Kate, and they have all enjoyed days out together, including a trip to a fairground in Norfolk in 2019.
The royal children have also stolen the show together at events such as Trooping the Colour, the late Queen's Platinum Jubilee and Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank's wedding.
© GettyOn an appearance on Good Morning Britain in 2021, Mike spoke about his children's close bond with the Waleses.
"Our family growth has been quite intertwined with theirs," he revealed. "Our kids are very, very close, which is great for the kids that they’re always going to have some cousins and those cousins - are going to be the same age and can grow up with them."
© Samir Hussein/WireImageWilliam, 43, has also previously spoken of his joy of seeing the children play together, as he was interviewed on the Royal Marsden London Hospital's radio station in 2021.
"For me, generally, bringing the family together at Christmastime is always lovely because we're quite spread out doing our things a lot of time throughout the year. We get very few moments to actually come together," he said. "When I see my children meet up with my cousin's children, and they all have a wonderful time playing together, it's very special. I look forward to that a lot."
Princess Charlotte and Mia are often pictured walking together on Christmas Day. When a well-wisher offered a bouquet of flowers to Charlotte in 2023, she sweetly told Mia, "You take them," which made the youngster smile.
