An Emotional Royal Christmas Holding On to What Matters

As Princess Kate celebrates her good health and King Charles continues to contend with his cancer diagnosis, the royals are banding together for a meaningful holiday season

- by JAIME HARKIN

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas for the royal family. At Windsor Castle, a 20-foot Nordmann fir tree — cut from the grounds of Windsor Great Park and wrapped in thousands of twinkling lights — stands tall at the end of St George’s Hall, while a second smaller one sparkles in the Crimson Drawing Room. Over at Buckingham Palace, three majestic trees sit in the Marble Hall and festive garland adorns the grand staircase. And at the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Scotland, the royal dining room table is laid with sugared fruits and foliage.

Preparations are also underway at Sandringham House, the picturesque 20,000-acre Norfolk estate where King Charles III will be hosting this year's festivities alongside his wife, Queen Camilla. (Queen Elizabeth II began holding Christmas at Sandringham back in 1988; the days-long celebration begins on Christmas Eve and wraps up with a Boxing Day hunt on Dec. 26.) The gathering brings together a who's who of the royal family — chief among them Prince William and Princess Kate, both 43, and their kids, Prince George, 11, Princess Charlotte, 10, and Prince Louis, 7. Last December, William revealed 45 guests were expected to attend the 2024 celebration.