A Christmas Day church service is set to be attended by the King and Queen of an undisclosed country, as well as the Prince and Princess of Wales, alongside other members of the royal family. It was revealed last week that the Duke of York will not attend the traditional annual gathering. This followed the discovery of an alleged Chinese spy, named in a High Court judgement, having links to the prince. The service will take place ahead of the King’s Christmas Day message, set to be broadcast from a former hospital chapel. This year has seen the monarch receive treatment for cancer. The Duke of York’s absence will be notable, and comes after he has apologized for his relationship with the disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein.
Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge, is expected to attend the St Mary Magdalene Church service in Sandringham, Norfolk. The location is the traditional spot for the royal gathering during the Christmas season and has been such since 1988. Catherine recently returned to royal duties after undergoing chemotherapy for cancer. The Duke of Edinburgh will also not be attending the service this year, following his death earlier in 2021.
Though the Duke of Edinburgh was not a figurehead within the country for decades, he was a highly respected and much-loved member of the royal family. Despite his retirement from public life in 2017, he was a significant source of support for his wife of over 70 years, Queen Elizabeth II. The royal couple had four children together, including Prince Charles, who is set to inherit the throne.
Ahead of the Christmas Day message, which the King has broadcast live each year since 1952, he recorded the speech from the Fitzrovia Chapel in central London rather than a royal palace or estate. The location serves as a poignant reminder of the hardship that many people faced over the past two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It is also a reminder of the importance of supporting one another and how our communities truly come together to face adversity. In the coming year, the King and his family are likely to continue to address these themes of hope, empathy, and health care, as they move forward in the post-pandemic world
Read the full article from The BBC here: Read More
