Prince William Will Reportedly Snub Royal Family's Christmas if This Family Member Is Invited

The Prince of Wales is apparently "nervous" they might show up this year.

Prince William wears a blue suit with a white shirt and red tie as he smirks at the camera
(Image credit: Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images)

Prince William apparently has some staunch rules when it comes to Christmas, and that includes avoiding one family member in particular.

Following reports that Kate Middleton is hosting a "rival" Christmas party in 2024, a new article has alleged there's one person William refuses to spend time with over the holiday season.

A Daily Beast report has suggested that William and Kate have, in recent years, chosen to spend Christmas Day at home with their children. "The Waleses have often not attended Christmas Day lunch at the 'big house' at Sandringham, preferring the informality of a relaxed lunch at Anmer Hall, and they are unlikely to attend this year, especially if Queen Camilla again invites her son Tom Parker Bowles," the report explained.

And that's not all. "William doesn’t much like Camilla, despite having made peace with his father’s choices, and is made nervous by Tom’s somewhat louche lifestyle," a source told the outlet.

Prince Harry, Prince William, and Tom Parker Bowles all wear suits while attending Laura Parker Bowles' wedding in May 2006

Prince Harry, Prince William, and Tom Parker Bowles attend Laura Parker Bowles' wedding in May 2006.

(Image credit: Getty Images/Mike Marsland/WireImage)

One of the Prince and Princess of Wales' former employees also told the outlet, "William and Kate have made an incredibly successful brand out of being normal and boring, but the crazy royal customs at Christmas threaten all that."

They continued, "It's particularly damaging to their reputation because Christmas is the one time that everybody in the whole country actually pays attention to the royals, and it risks getting overshadowed by stories about these strange, elitist, aristocratic habits. It's not surprising they want to change the narrative as they prepare to take the throne themselves."

In an interview with People, Queen Camilla's son Tom addressed whether or not he gets invited to the Royal Family's Christmas Day festivities. "We are married in, we are not the Royal Family—I've never for one second said that."

He continued, "That’s not to say myself and the children spend [time] running around palaces... I have my own job and the children have school. I haven't been to Christmas yet for various reasons."

Amy Mackelden
Contributing Editor

Amy Mackelden is a contributing 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.