Prince William & Kate Middleton May Not Be Included in the Queen’s Christmas Plans

It’s possible that Prince William and Kate Middleton won’t attend the Queen’s Christmas this year. But the Cambridges don’t have a royal feud to blame for spending the holiday apart—they’re just trying to keep Her Majesty safe, the Telegraph reports.

Like many families around the world, the royal family’s Christmas plans are looking a little different this year due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. While Prince William, 38, and Kate, 38, typically spend the holidays at Sandringham Estate with the rest of The Firm, the couple might bow out from Christmas with the Queen altogether this year because they don’t want to risk getting her sick. Their three kids—Prince George, 7, Princess Charlotte, 5, and Prince Louis, 2—have all been attending school in-person, making for a higher chance of exposure. A source told the Telegraph that the royal couple is determined to do what is most “practical” this year.

“They will sort it out between them; it will be about what’s practical,” the source told the paper, explaining that their children’s increased risk would “clearly” be considered.

If the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge do choose to attend the Queen’s Christmas, it’s possible they would take their three children along with them to Anmer Hall, their country home on Sandringham Estate, to quarantine for two weeks ahead of seeing the Queen. The British monarch, 94, and the Duke of Edinburgh, 99, must also still decide whether their annual move to Sandringham is still on for the holidays in the first place. Their plan was complicated in October after a tense “revolt” by over 20 Sandringham staffers, who were asked to isolate at the property away from their families in order to create a safe pod for the Queen and Prince Philip.

Wherever royal family members decide to spend the holidays, they will all have to follow U.K. government guidelines for Christmas gatherings. The relaxed advisory allows for a “bubble” of up to three households to mix from December 23 to December 27. The bubble must be kept exclusive, meaning the Queen and Prince Philip can only choose two other royal households to spend their holiday with. Prior to the holidays, Britain had enacted a “Rule of Six” regulation, which prohibited any social gatherings of any more than six people at a time.