Since they were born into the royal family, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie have been celebrating Christmas with the royal family at Sandringham all of their lives. But this year, they’ve both decided to do something a little different. It’s official: Beatrice and Eugenie are skipping royal Christmas, and it sounds like they’re ready to start their own holiday traditions.
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Earlier this week, news broke that Sarah Ferguson and Prince Andrew would not be attending Christmas at Sandringham this year.
The decision follows yet another scandal that Andrew, Eugenie and Beatrice’s father, has found himself embroiled in. According to NBC News, Britain’s High Court has accused him of being “prepared to enter into business activities” with an alleged Chinese spy who has been banned from the United Kingdom because he was considered “a risk to national security. Court documents that were released this week claim that the two men reportedly have an “unusual degree of trust.”
Prince Andrew’s office stated that he “ceased all contact with the individual after concerns were raised” and isn’t guilty of any wrongdoing, but it appears he’s planning to lay low for the holidays, and now, his daughters are following suit.
Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie have also backed out of the celebration.
As People reported, their choice likely has nothing to do with Andrew’s scandal or the fact that their parents won’t be at Sandringham this year. Instead, they’re both planning to spend Christmas with their in-laws instead – a decision that was made “some time ago.”
Considering that Eugenie and her husband, Jack Brooksbank, now have two sons while Beatrice and Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi share two children along with Edo’s older son, Wolfie, it makes sense that the other side of the family would want to spend the holidays with them, too.
Eugenie and Beatrice celebrating elsewhere reportedly prompted their parents to do the same.
“The decision for the pair to stay put at the Royal Lodge is thought to have been made easier by Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie’s plans to spend Christmas with their respective in-laws this year for the first time,” a royal insider told The Independent, via GB News.
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Still, it doesn't seem like it will be a quiet year at Sandringham.
Even though Andrew, Sarah, Eugenie, and Beatrice will be missing from the celebration this year (along with their husbands and children), the royals’ Christmas may still end up being one of the biggest holiday gatherings they’ve ever had. Earlier this month, Prince William revealed that they’re expecting 45 people this year and that he thinks it will be a rather “noisy” affair.
Eugenie and Beatrice very rarely miss out on royal Christmases.
The only time the sisters have skipped Sandringham on Christmas since they each got married was 2020, during the height of the pandemic, People noted. It will certainly be a change for them both, but it sounds like shaking things up this year might not be such a bad thing.
