Kate Middleton "Puts Duty Before Self" by Spending Christmas With the Queen at Sandringham, Expert Says

For many couples, there comes a time when the momentous decision must be made: Whose family will we spend the holidays with this year? But while this may have been a discussion for Kate Middleton and Prince William in previous years, they now seem committed to appearing at the Queen's Sandringham Christmas festivities year after year. This, according to royal expert Katie Nicholl, is a testament to their sense of duty as they continue to grow in their roles as senior royals.

"In the early years of being a family, they did try to alternate Christmas, one year with The Queen and the Royal Family and the next year with the Middletons, but Kate and William put duty before self and we can see that, more now than ever," Nicholl told OK!.

For Nicholl, this can't be an easy thing to do for the duchess. "So there is a sacrifice on Kate's part because Christmas is a very big thing for the Middleton family, but they put The Queen first and make sure they are there on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day at Sandringham," she continued.

But not everybody loses out on this arrangement: "But, it's probably a lot of fun for the Cambridge children that they get to celebrate Christmas twice—once with their great-grandmother and the Royal Family and then again with the Middletons at their Bucklebury home," Nicholl explained.

Royal expert Duncan Larcombe previously suggested that George, Charlotte and Louis might even get three Christmases this year—the third being a private one with their parents.