Princess Eugenie and Beatrice Skipping Royal Family Christmas

Princess Eugenie wears a bright red dress and a black ribbon on her head, while her sister Princess Beatrice wears a black and white patterned dress with a white hat featuring a black bow

(Image credit: Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images)

published 16 December 2024

As the Royal Family prepares to gather at Sandringham for the holiday season, two royals won't be in attendance. According to a new report, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie will miss the traditional royal Christmas celebration in favor of their own low-key plans.

Hello! magazine has reported that Eugenie and Beatrice are expected to celebrate Christmas with their respective in-laws, rather than making the trip to Sandringham in Norfolk. Their parents, Sarah Ferguson and Prince Andrew, also won't attend King Charles and Queen Camilla's Christmas Day festivities, instead opting to spend the period together at their home, Royal Lodge in Windsor.

"[I]t was decided earlier this year that Beatrice and Eugenie will spend the festive period with their respective in-laws for the first time since their marriages," Hello! reported. Eugenie wed Jack Brooksbank in October 2018, and the pair share two sons—August and Ernest. Princess Beatrice married Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi in July 2020. The couple are raising daughter Sienna, Mozzi's son Wolfie from a previous relationship, and they're also expecting their second baby.

Sarah Ferguson wears a blue dress with a black hat, and stands next to ex-husband Prince Andrew, and daughters Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie — Eugenie and Beatrice won't be spending Christmas with parents Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson.

It was previously reported that Princess Eugenie had been invited to spend Christmas in California with Prince Harry, Meghan Markle, and their children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet. At the time, the Express reported, "It's a very difficult position for Eugenie because she has also been invited to Sandringham."

However, the report also suggested that Eugenie and her husband could join Meghan and Harry after Christmas, instead. "It would be so nice for the children to spend time with their cousins," the source claimed. "The diary is very tight over the holidays but there might be a slot free around New Years' time for everyone to come together at some point."

Princess Beatrice wearing a black and white dress and hat standing to the right of Princess Eugenie wearing a red dress and navy hat who is laughing next to Prince Andrew on a staircase — Charles "could now ban his brother from joining the rest of his family walking to church at Sandringham on Christmas Day."

Meanwhile, The London Times suggested that Prince Andrew could find himself disinvited from Christmas at Sandringham amid multiple scandals. The outlet reported that Charles "could now ban his brother from joining the rest of his family walking to church at Sandringham on Christmas Day" following his association with an alleged Chinese spy.

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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.

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