Kate herself addressed the situation with warmth and humour. When an eight-year-old girl brought a Milky Bar selection box as a gift for George, the princess smiled and said:
“I’m sorry we didn’t bring George, but you would have heard him in the church.”
Royal fans also noticed Kate’s glowing appearance. One admirer recalled telling her she looked beautiful, to which Kate replied politely, adding that she felt “big” — despite not looking it at all.
At the time, Kate was five months pregnant with her second child, Princess Charlotte, who would be born the following May.
Prince George wasn’t the only royal missing that Christmas. Queen Camilla reportedly skipped the church service due to a bad back, while Prince William was said to be dealing with a foot injury that kept him out of a Christmas Eve football match.
Prince Harry, however, was present and in good spirits. Six years before his move to the US, he joined the family at Sandringham and joked with well-wishers, asking whether they could hear the carols — adding that he hoped no one heard his “horrendous” singing.
A Christmas Day that seemed ordinary at the time now feels like a snapshot from a very different royal era.
