Tom Parker Bowles said he won’t be joining his mother and the Royal Family at Sandringham this Christmas, following an alternating years approach
Tom was invited by his mother to Sandringham last year(Image: Dave Benett/Getty Images)
As Christmas is fast approaching, families nationwide are preparing for the festive day, including the Royal Family.
While the royals’ Christmas Day routine remained largely unchanged year after year at Sandringham, the guest list often varied, and this year is no different. Queen Camilla‘s children, Tom Parker Bowles and Laura Lopes, were part of the Royal Christmas celebrations last year, but it seems they and their families won’t be needing a spot at the table this time around.
Tom Parker Bowles revealed that he and his sister have decided to adopt a “one year on, one year off” strategy when it comes to spending Christmas with their mother at the Royal estate.
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Tom shared this news earlier this week in a conversation with the Daily Mail’s Richard Eden, where he stated: “I’m not [spending Christmas at Sandringham]. Nor is my sister. It’ll be every other year, one year on, one year off.”
Tom Parker Bowles has revealed whether or not he will be at Sandringham on Christmas Day(Image: Dave Benett/Getty Images for Boisdale of Canary Wharf / Ranald Macdonald)
Instead of joining the Royal festivities, Tom, a renowned food writer, plans to spend the day with his kids and his ex-wife, Sara Buys, at her residence. Laura’s Christmas Day plans remained unknown.
It’s thought that Camilla had wanted her two children to join her at Sandringham for Christmas last year, following a challenging year due to the King’s cancer diagnosis.
Both her children were present, with Tom disclosing in the run-up to the holiday that they hadn’t spent Christmas with Camilla for quite some time.
He revealed to The Telegraph last year before Christmas 2024: “My mum said, ‘I’d love you to come, I haven’t had Christmas with you for a long time’.
“It has been a hell of a two years for [Charles and Camilla]. The older you get, the more conscious you become of mortality, especially with illnesses and the rest of it.”
Sources suggest both Tom and Laura are expected to spend meaningful time with their mother during the holiday period. Down the road, when King Charles’ son Prince William becomes king, there are some royal traditions that will be scrapped.
While the Royal Family gathers at Sandringham for their festive celebrations annually as of now, a time will come when one of the day’s many rituals will get the boot. William reportedly plans to axe a tradition where royals exchange “joke” and presents based on their ranking within the family.
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