Kate Middleton And Prince William May Be Facing A Huge Christmas Disappointment

The royals' beloved Christmas traditions sound like they could have come straight out of a Dickens novel: plenty of parties all season long; multiple trees decked out at Buckingham Palace; the queen's holiday breakfast for the family; a black-tie Christmas Eve party followed by the official gift exchange; and the entire clan gathering on Christmas morning to attend church services on the queen's Sandringham estate (per Town & Country). These rituals are surely taking on even more meaning now that Princes William and Harry have children of their own still young enough to be delighted by holiday splendor. William and Kate Middleton are parents to George, 7, Charlotte, 5, and 2-year-old Louis, while Harry and Meghan Markle, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, are the doting dad and mum of one-year-old Archie. 

Sadly, it looks as though the entire royal family will have to set aside their holiday customs this year — and in William and Kate's case, that means canceling both their usual tradition and their backup plan.

Normally, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge normally would be traveling with their children to the queen's estate in Sandringham for the holidays. However, in early December, the monarch sent word that she and Prince Philip would be remaining at Windsor Castle on their own. A source told People that the couple "are content to have a quiet festive season this year."

Prince William and Kate Middleton normally spend part of the holidays with her family, and it was widely rumored that they would be going to her parents' home for Christmas once the queen canceled the Sandringham trip. However, another People report notes that the senior Middletons live in a section of England that is currently in lockdown as the country tries to combat a new and virulent strain of the COVID-19 virus. Under the lockdown, no one can enter or exit the region, and residents are forbidden to combine households. The Duchess's sister, Pippa Middleton, who is expecting her second baby with husband James Matthews, also lives in a restricted zone. 

It looks as though Christmas 2020 will be a low-key affair for William and Kate, but that might not be such a bad thing. The holidays are hectic enough when you have a houseful of small children, much less when you're gathering with the extended family.