It could be a much quieter Christmas Day for the royals this year

King Charles and the Royal Family could find their Christmas Day
a lot quieter this year.

The choir at the
church of St. Mary Magdalene on the Sandringham estate, where the
royals traditionally attend Christmas Day service, have stopped
singing after a row about standards.

The vicar of the church, the Rev Paul Williams, decided to bring
in a consultant to review the choristers, who are all
volunteers.

Tansy Castledine concluded, in a report published earlier this
year, that the group needed to ”aspire to higher standards” and
that they had ”no knowledge of music or singing technique”.

The choir’s long time leader, Dr Claire Stewart, went on sick
leave brought on by stress and now the Director of Music has quit
her post.

As a result, it’s reported that several choristers are
boycotting rehearsals. Now it’s feared that they might not be in
full voice for the Christmas Day service.

Although the service itself is never broadcast, it’s the most
watched Christmas Day church ceremony in the country as crowds
gather outside St. Mary Magdalene to see the Royal Family as they
walk from Sandringham House. There’s always a walkabout afterwards,
too, with millions seeing the royal Christmas on TV and online.

St. Mary Magdalene is in the Diocese of Norwich and a spokesperson told The
Daily Telegraph that ”several members of the choir have
continued to sing together throughout this time, including at sung
services across the churches in the Sandringham group.”

There’s no chance of the Christmas Day service being cancelled.
Not only would The King have something to say, the Diocese noted
that ”there is a full schedule of services planned at Sandringham
to celebrate the joy of Christmas.”

King Charles is expected to gather the Royal Family at
Sandringham for Christmas. Last year, Queen Camilla also invited
her own children to join them for the festive celebrations.

However, it’s already known that
The King’s brother, Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, won’t be
joining the family even though he is about to move to a private
property on the Sandringham estate. He is headed there after giving
up the lease on the thirty room Royal Lodge on the Windsor estate
where he has lived, rent free, for over twenty years.

His former wife, Sarah Ferguson, won’t join the Royal Family
either – King Charles surprised many by inviting her to be part of
the group walking to and from church in 2023.

It’s not known whether Andrew and Sarah’s two daughters will
join the Royal Family at Sandringham this year. Princess Beatrice
was with them in 2024, having had to cancel plans to spend the
festive season in Italy as she was heavily pregnant and doctors
advised her not to travel. Her sister, Princess Eugenie, wasn’t
there and spent the holidays with her husband, Jack Brooksbank, and
their two sons, August and Ernest.

The Prince and
Princess of Wales are expected to be at Sandringham on Christmas
Day along with their three children, Prince George, Princess
Charlotte and Prince Louis.

There will also be interest in whether Princess Anne’s children,
Zara Tindall and Peter Phillips are there – Peter announced his
engagement to Harriet Sperling earlier this year and this would be
her first Christmas as a royal bride to be.

King Charles has maintained the tradition of celebrating royal
Christmas at Sandringham. Queen Elizabeth II brought the Royal
Family together for the festive season there throughout her reign
and despite a brief time when the holidays would be marked at
Windsor, it was at the Norfolk estate that she most enjoyed
Christmas.

The King, like his mother, often attends several services at St.
Mary Magdalene on Christmas Day. However, he may find both a little
quieter this year.