It’s the most wonderful time of the year and the royals were in fine form when they made their way to St Mary Magdalene’s church for the Christmas Day service.
Royal fans caught glimpses of the Queen, Prince Philip and of course the Fab Four made up of Prince William, Duchess Catherine, Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan as they made their way through the cold on Christmas morning for the annual service near the Queen’s Norfolk residence of Sandringham.
But despite the short walk, there were a few moments and details that may have slipped past, we’ve rounded them up here. Take a look.
Where were Prince Philip and Duchess Camilla?
Senior royals Prince Philip and Duchess Camilla were absent at this year’s Christmas service. (Images: Getty Images)
All eyes are usually on the Queen on Christmas Day, but she appeared alone without her husband, Prince Philip.
A palace spokesperson revealed that the 97 year-old Duke of Edinburgh is in good health and “spending the day ‘privately”.
According to British newspaper The Telegraph. Prince Philip “operates on a ‘wake up and see how I feel’ basis,” and seeing as he’s 97, we don’t blame him for not wanting to walk in the cold!
Meanwhile, Prince Charles’ wife Duchess Camilla skipped the church service as she has been suffering from a cold and is still on the mend. The Duchess of Cornwall also reportedly missed an appearance at the Olympia Horse Show last week. Get well soon!
William and Harry showed no signs of brotherly love
The princes kept their distance. (Image: Getty Images)
Royal feud rumours between Kate and Meghan have been rife for months, and all eyes were on the duchesses analysing every movement to see if they really were playing happy families. The Internet even went wild when Meghan rested her hand on Kate’s back, but take another look at William and Harry.
They may have walked together like they did last year, but the two royal brothers kept their distance with their wives in the middle and did not interact at all this Christmas. In fact, body language expert Judi James says it’s a very different scenario to their normal relationship.
“We’ve been so entranced by the two women that we’ve forgotten about Prince William and Prince Harry. Apart from having very rigid, fixed smiles on their faces, I didn’t see anything in the way of glances or exchanges between them,” she told The Daily Mail.
“They’ve always been seen laughing and sharing jokes, they usually have lots of ‘tie-signs’ (gestures that signal closeness) between them. They’ve both got their hands stuck in their pockets and I didn’t see any connection signals between them at all.”
READ MORE: Queen orders Kate and Meghan to call a truce – for Christmas.
A lot has changed in a year. (Image: Getty Images)
One new royal made their Christmas church debut
We’ve all been so caught up in the drama that we forgot about one member of the royal family who joined the fold in October.
Princess Eugenie, dressed in her festive red coat, was accompanied by her husband Jack Brooksbank who celebrated his first royal Christmas at Sandringham with the in-laws.
He’s only been part of the family for two months after marrying Princess Eugenie in a stunning ceremony, but Jack is already in the royal good books. The newlyweds have attended various engagements together and Jack has even been blessed with a biography on Prince Andrew’s official website.
Jack Brooksbank made his royal Christmas debut this year. (Image: Rex Features)
George and Charlotte were definitely not sound asleep at home
Whether you’re royal or not, kids love Christmas, and it’s clear Prince George and Princess Charlotte were no different.
According to HELLO!, 71 year-old Jill Lee told reporters how Duchess Catherine revealed what had happened that Christmas morning as she greeted the crowds outside the church.
“I said to Kate ‘were the children up early’ and she said ‘very early, but it was lovely to see their faces’.”
Let’s just hope little Louis was fast asleep!
While attending an official engagement at Leicester University in November, Catherine got chatting to a couple of avid royal fans who asked about her two eldest children.
“They’re getting excited for Christmas time, because they’ve started all their Christmas songs and the Christmas trees are going up,” she said.
WATCH: The best royal Christmas cards. Post continues…
Cheeky Savannah Phillips is back
She’s arguably the breakout royal of 2018 and Savannah Phillips certainly looked the part as she walked to church on Christmas morning.
The Queen’s eldest great-grandchild, seven, and her younger sister Isla, six, were the two youngest attendants at the church service and looked adorable rugged up in their bright coats. And Savannah was up to her usual cheeky antics as she shielded her hands from the cold and even played up and sang as they exited the church.
It’s not often that we see the youngsters at church with their parents, as they usually wait until they’re a little older. Perhaps we’ll see George and Charlotte alongside Savannah and Isla next year…
READ MORE: Savannah Phillips pushes Prince George down a hill.
Pretty in pink…and turquoise! Savannah Phillips walks behind her little sister Isla. (Image: Getty Images)
