Scorecard Research Beacon
Search Icon
December 25, 2019

Prince George, Princess Charlotte join Prince William, Duchess Kate at Christmas service

WATCH: George, Charlotte make 1st walk to Christmas Day service with William and Kate

The Cambridge family marked a first on Wednesday as they celebrated Christmas together.

Prince William and Kate's two oldest children, 6-year-old Prince George and 4-year-old Princess Charlotte, joined their parents on the walk to the Christmas Day service at St. Mary Magdalene Church, the first time the two young royals have joined in the royal tradition.

🎄 Happy Christmas!

This morning The Prince of Wales, The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Prince George and Princess Charlotte joined Her Majesty The Queen and Members of the @RoyalFamily for the Christmas Day church service at St Mary Magdalene Church in Sandringham. pic.twitter.com/cdhrh0OJub

— Kensington Palace (@KensingtonRoyal) December 25, 2019
Editor's Picks

The siblings' younger brother, Prince Louis, 1, is still too young to join in the tradition, which also included their grandparents, Prince Charles and Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall.

PHOTO: Prince William, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge attend the Christmas Day Church service at Church of St Mary Magdalene on the Sandringham estate, Dec. 25, 2019 in King's Lynn, UK.
Stephen Pond/Getty Images
Prince William, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge attend the Christmas Day Church service at Church of St Mary Magdalene on the Sandringham estate, Dec. 25, 2019 in King's Lynn, UK.

Absent from the royals' walk to church this year were Prince Harry and Meghan, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.

Harry and Meghan and their son Archie are spending Christmas with Meghan's mother Doria Ragland, marking the first time Harry and Meghan have not spent the holiday with the royal family since their engagement two years ago.

PHOTO: Britain's Prince George and his sister Princess Charlotte after attending a Christmas day service at the St Mary Magdalene Church in Sandringham in Norfolk, England, Dec. 25, 2019.
Jon Super/AP
Britain's Prince George and his sister Princess Charlotte after attending a Christmas day service at the St Mary Magdalene Church in Sandringham in Norfolk, England, Dec. 25, 2019.
(MORE: Prince William and Duchess Kate open up about raising their kids behind palace walls)

Harry and Meghan were photographed last year walking side-by-side with William and Kate into St. Mary Magdalene Church.

After the service, the Cambridges and their royal relatives walk back to Sandringham, the queen's estate in Norfolk, England, where they will enjoy a Christmas lunch and then gather to watch Queen Elizabeth II deliver her annual Christmas message.

In the evening, the royal family will get together again for a Christmas buffet dinner with 15 to 20 different delicacies prepared by the queen's chef. A toast is part of the meal, which ranges from roast beef to turkey and ham.

PHOTO: Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge and Princess Charlotte greet people as they leave the St Mary Magdalene's church after the Royal Family's Christmas Day service on the Sandringham estate in eastern England, Britain, Dec. 25, 2019.
Phil Noble/Reuters
Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge and Princess Charlotte greet people as they leave the St Mary Magdalene's church after the Royal Family's Christmas Day service on the Sandringham estate in eastern England, Britain, Dec. 25, 2019.
(MORE: Royals unveil stunning Christmas decorations including epic 20-foot tree)

The royal family holds their gift exchange on Christmas Eve, following the German tradition. They often swap funny or homemade gifts.

PHOTO: Britain's Prince George of Cambridge arrives for the Royal Family's traditional Christmas Day service at St Mary Magdalene Church in Sandringham, Norfolk, eastern England, Dec. 25, 2019.
Ben Stansall/AFP via Getty Images
Britain's Prince George of Cambridge arrives for the Royal Family's traditional Christmas Day service at St Mary Magdalene Church in Sandringham, Norfolk, eastern England, Dec. 25, 2019.

Kate, who wed Prince William in 2011, reportedly made homemade jam one year as gifts for her royal relatives.

On the day after Christmas, known as Boxing Day in the U.K., the royals are expected to partake in a traditional pheasant shoot on the grounds of Sandringham.

William and Kate and their kids are staying at Anmer Hall, their country home in Norfolk located near the queen's Sandringham estate.