This morning, Kate Middleton and Prince William went out with the rest of the royal family for Christmas service in Norfolk, the family's annual tradition. Missing from the action were all three of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's children: Prince Louis (understandably because he's an infant), Princess Charlotte and Prince George. George and Charlotte have been photographed with their parents at Christmas service before though, two years ago when they were in Bucklebury, Berkshire, spending the holidays with Kate's family.
George is five now, while Charlotte is three—and their ages have everything to do with why they haven't ever been out for the royal family's Christmas service in Sandringham. Children typically don't attend service with the family until they're a little older. Prince Harry's first photographed appearance at Christmas day service was when he was seven:
William, meanwhile, was five, but there doesn't seem to be a hard rule about what age children start attending. Kate and William may have decided now to delay George's first service for another year or until Charlotte is ready to join too:
George, Charlotte, and Louis have all been part of other royal Christmas events though. They were photographed en route to the Queen's pre-Christmas lunch at Buckingham Palace with their parents last week.
The three are staying with their parents now at Anmer Hall on the Queen's Sandringham estate. And the kids already opened their presents last night: the royal family follows the German tradition and does gift opening on Christmas Eve.
Charlotte and George were genuinely excited for the holiday as far back as the end of November. Kate spoke then during an appearance in Leicester about how eager her kids were. "They’re getting excited for Christmas time because they’ve started all their Christmas songs and Christmas trees are going up," she said. "It was really sweet."
Alyssa Bailey is the senior news and strategy editor at ELLE.com, where she oversees coverage of celebrities and royals (particularly Meghan Markle and Kate Middleton). She previously held positions at InStyle and Cosmopolitan. When she's not working, she loves running around Central Park, making people take #ootd pics of her, and exploring New York City.
