Kate Middleton and Prince William to abandon Christmas tradition for sake of their children

Kate Middleton and Prince William are set to spend Christmas at Sandringham Estate with King Charles and the rest of the Royal Family, following Royal tradition. The family will partake in their usual festive activities, including exchanging joke gifts, attending church, and playing board games.

However, there's one tradition that the Prince and Princess of Wales are considering ditching for their children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis. The Royal Family has a long-standing tradition of exchanging gifts on Christmas Eve, a custom dating back to Queen Victoria's era, reflecting the family's German heritage.

The late Queen Elizabeth was fond of this practice, which she saw as an expression of her Christian faith, choosing to reserve Christmas Day for spiritual reflection rather than gift-giving. But according to a Royal expert, Kate and William might decide to abandon this Christmas tradition, opting instead for a "more normal way" of celebrating, reports OK!.

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Speaking exclusively to OK!, former BBC Royal correspondent Jennie Bond said: "I don't think they worry particularly about how they're perceived at Christmas but I do think that Catherine and William want to do things in a more normal way.

"They are lucky because they have their own home close to Sandringham so they've always been able to wake up there, do stockings and presents and then go over to the big house for the more formal celebrations."

The Royal expert added: "I suspect that when they are King and Queen a lot of traditions will change – and the exchange of presents on Christmas Eve may well be one of them."

Comparing Kate and William's Christmas plans and the upbringing of their children to other members of the Royal Family, Jennie said: "I think this whole new generation of royal youngsters are having a different experience of royal life.

"You couldn't get much more normal than Mike and Zara Tindall for example, and Edward and Sophie have brought their children up in a much more down to earth way. They expect them to find their own way in life and Louise and James have had a relatively normal upbringing (given that they are part of the Royal family and live in a stonking great mansion! )"

Ahead of Kate's Christmas carol concert this week, the princess has extended an invitation to the child survivors of the Southport stabbing incident to join her at Westminster Abbey on 6 December, as confirmed by Kensington Palace. This gesture follows a surprise visit she made with her husband, William, to meet the families of the victims in Southport last month.