Royals attend Christmas Day service at Sandringham

The King and Queen have attended a Christmas Day church service in Sandringham alongside the Prince and Princess of Wales.

Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis were seen arriving at St Mary Magdalene Church.

Prince Andrew was also in attendance, accompanied for the first time in many years by ex-wife Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York.

The royals are spending Christmas at Sandringham House in Norfolk.

Royal enthusiasts lined the route to the church to catch a glimpse of the royals during their traditional Christmas morning - some from as far afield as Washington DC, USA.

For ardent fans of the royal family, Sandringham is the place to be on Christmas Day.

Hundreds wake up early and queue outside the church gates for a chance to see senior royals up close and personal.

The King and Queen led their family on the short walk from Sandringham House to Mary Magdalene Church.

Many younger royals joined in on the occasion, with the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh's two teenage children - Lady Louise and James, Viscount Severn - making an appearance.

Zara and Mike Tindall also brought two of their children along, with nine-year-old Mia Tindall taking charge of her cousin Prince Louis, clasping his hand as they walked in to church.

The big talking point was the presence of the Duchess of York - she has not accompanied the family on the walk to the Christmas morning church service for more than 30 years.

But on Monday she was invited back into the heart of the Royal Family after receiving breast cancer treatment earlier this year.

She was joined by her daughters Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, and their husbands Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi and Jack Brooksbank.

The presence of Prince Andrew among the Christmas party is likely to raise eyebrows.

He is seldom seen in public since apologising for his links to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, and no longer takes part in frontline royal duties.

The King has continued the tradition established by his mother Queen Elizabeth II of hosting members of the Royal Family at Sandringham House for Christmas.

Last year saw the royals return to the Norfolk property for their first post-pandemic Christmas since 2019.

-bbc