Two Royal Family Relatives Missing Christmas at Sandringham

The Royal family at Christmas in Sandringham

(Image credit: Getty Images)

published 8 December 2025

The Royal Family generally celebrates Christmas on the Sandringham estate in Norfolk, England, where they attend church together on Christmas Day. However, two royal relatives have revealed they will be skipping the Royal Family's holiday celebrations entirely for 2025.

Speaking to the Daily Mail's Richard Eden, Queen Camilla's son, Tom Parker Bowles, shared (via GB News), "I'm not [spending Christmas at Sandringham]." The food writer continued, "Nor is my sister [Laura Lopes]. It'll be every other year, one year on, one year off."

Parker Bowles's 2025 plans are markedly different from his 2024 Christmas celebrations. Speaking to The Telegraph in December 2024, the food author explained, "My mom said, 'I'd love you to come, I haven't had Christmas with you for a long time.'"

Tom Parker Bowles with his mom Queen Camilla — Tom Parker Bowles and sister Laura Lopes won't be joining Queen Camilla at Sandringham this Christmas.

Discussing his plans to join Queen Camilla at Sandringham for the holidays in 2024, Parker Bowles said, "It has been a hell of a two years for [Charles and Camilla]. The older you get, the more conscious you become of mortality, especially with illnesses and the rest of it."

As for what the Royal Family's Christmas might look like, Parker Bowles told the outlet, "I genuinely know nothing about it...I know there's turkey and sprouts and church. And I have to bring a suit and a dinner jacket."

WINDSOR, ENGLAND - APRIL 9: (EMBARGOED TILL 0001 BST MONDAY 11 APRIL 2005) TRH Prince Charles and The Duchess Of Cornwall, Camilla Parker Bowles pose with their children (L-R) Prince Harry, Prince William, Laura and Tom Parker Bowles, in the white drawing room for the Official Wedding group photo following their earlier marriage at The Guildhall, at Windsor Castle on April 9, 2005 in Berkshire, England. (Photo by Hugo Bernand/ROTA/Anwar Hussein Collection/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** HRH Prince Charles;HRH The Duchess Of Cornwall;Prince William;Prince Harry — Laura Lopes and Tom Parker Bowles are skipping the Royal Family's Christmas celebrations in 2025.

The Royal Family reportedly has a plethora of traditions they partake in every Christmas. But according to one royal source, Prince William is already considering obliterating one particular tradition.

Per the Daily Mail, "[W]hen Prince William becomes King, it is understood that he will scrap an outdated ceremony which involves handing out 'joke' £5 [$6.65] presents in strict order of royal seniority."

The source alleged that William objects to the hierarchy inherent within the "'antiquated' game," which "involves the cheap gifts being handed out" by the monarch.

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Amy Mackelden is the weekend editor at Marie Claire, where she covers celebrity and royal family news. She was the weekend editor at Harper’s BAZAAR for three years, where she covered breaking celebrity and entertainment news, royal stories, fashion, beauty, and politics. Prior to that, she spent a year as the joint weekend editor for Marie Claire, ELLE, and Harper's BAZAAR, and two years as an entertainment writer at Bustle. Her additional bylines include Cosmopolitan, People, The Independent, HelloGiggles, Biography, Shondaland, Best Products, New Statesman, Heat, and The Guardian. Her work has been syndicated by publications including Town & Country, Good Housekeeping, Esquire, Delish, Oprah Daily, Country Living, and Women's Health. Her celebrity interviews include Jennifer Aniston, Jessica Chastain, the cast of Selling Sunset, Emma Thompson, Jessica Alba, and Penn Badgley. In 2015, she delivered an academic paper at Kimposium, the world's first Kardashian conference.