The Biggest Rumors About The Royal Family's 2025 Christmas Plans

We may receive a commission on purchases made from links.

Christmastime is just as likely to abound with good cheer as it is with family drama — and the British royals know it. Every year, these elite members of the upper crust gather at the Sandringham Estate in Norfolk to enjoy beautiful decorations and fun gifts. As royal expert, Robert Jobson, told the Express, "On Christmas Eve when all the clan are together, the queen's grandchildren and great-grandchildren put the finishing touches to the 20-foot Christmas tree in the White Drawing Room. Presents will be opened that day at teatime as the royals still keep to the German practice of opening their gifts on Christmas Eve."

While that all might sound swell, the royal family's 2025 Christmas plans are not exactly expected to overflow with good tidings. In the months before the holiday, ex-Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson — formerly known as the Duchess of York — were stripped of their titles due to their associations with notorious sex trafficker, Jeffrey Epstein. The king's youngest son, Prince Harry, finally took the first step toward a familial reconciliation. And, minor royals like Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie have been caught in the crossfire. All these intense family dynamics have led to a great number of rumors surrounding the holiday. Regardless of which ones prove to be true, it's evident that the royal family will have to navigate several complicated issues at Sandringham this year.

Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and his ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, have long fostered a complicated relationship with the royal family's Christmas celebrations at Sandringham. Following the couple's embarrassing public separation in 1992, Ferguson was prohibited from attending the annual celebration with the remainder of the family. This 30-year snub effectively meant that Ferguson didn't get the chance to see her daughters, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, for the holiday. In 2022, however, all that changed, and the then-Duchess of York was once again included in the festivities. She also attended in 2023.

In 2024, Ferguson's royal status once again took a turn for the worse. Ex-Prince Andrew's friendship with an alleged Chinese spy came to light – so both he and Ferguson were encouraged to exclude themselves from the holiday events. This ban is expected to extend into 2025. After all, since Mountbatten-Windsor and Ferguson lost their titles, the remainder of the royal family likely won't want to honor them with an invite to the Christmas celebrations at Sandringham. As one palace insider told the Daily Mail, the couple's presence at the event would be "suboptimal" for the royal family's public image. In a previous press statement, King Charles III and Queen Camilla were quoted as saying, "Their Majesties wish to make clear that their thoughts and utmost sympathies have been, and will remain with, the victims and survivors of any and all forms of abuse" (via Independent).

Just because the former Duke and Duchess of York have been barred from the royal family's 2025 Christmas celebrations at Sandringham does not mean that ex-Prince Andrew will avoid the estate entirely. Following the loss of his prince titles, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor was also informed that he would have to leave his luxurious 30-room residence, known as the Royal Lodge at Windsor. Where will he go next? According to rumors, Sandringham is a definite possibility. 

But, per a report in the Sun, if Mountbatten-Windsor moves to Sandringham, he won't be allowed to settle into the grand house where the rest of the royals celebrate Christmas. A source told the outlet that the disgraced former prince will be sent to a rustic property on the outer part of the estate, explaining, "Andrew has been told he is off to Marsh Farm. It needs an awful lot of work to be done before it's habitable."

Although it's certainly possible that Mountbatten-Windsor will be on the Sandringham Estate at Christmastime, palace sources emphasized that he won't be included in the festivities. "He won't be anywhere near the Big House," they told the Daily Mail. That being said, it's expected that Andrew will remain at the Royal Lodge until the New Year, as senior royals wouldn't want to come across him while going for a stroll at Sandringham. Per the same insiders, that would be "quite awkward."

Regardless of where Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor spends his Christmas, it's extremely unlikely that he will get to spend any time with his brother, Prince Edward, or Edward's wife, Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh. During previous Christmas celebrations at Sandringham, Edward and Sophie were reportedly less-than-thrilled with plans for them to share a holiday residence with then-Prince Andrew. As per the Sun, before Andrew was uninvited from Christmas in 2024, the palace had arranged for him to share a cottage with Edward and Sophie. A source told the paper that the Edinburghs were "unhappy" with the arrangement, as they didn't want to live "cheek by jowl with the Yorks."

Although it has been suggested that Prince Edward and Prince Andrew's relationship has improved over the years, the brothers have hardly been known for getting along. Andrew was actually famous for pushing Edward around when they were younger — a fact that has certainly impacted their brotherly dynamic to this day. As royal expert, Ingrid Seward, put it in her book, "Royal Children" (via Express), "Andrew bullied everybody and would constantly swipe his younger brother. If he saw Edward going for a particular cake, Andrew would try and grab it first." Perhaps royal commentator, Angela Mollard, put it best when she noted that it would be a lot to expect the late Queen Elizabeth II's kids to all get along, telling the Express, "it's not that kind of family."

Ever since ex-Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson lost their titles, there have been a lot of questions surrounding what will happen to their daughters, Princess Eugenie and Princess Beatrice. As far as the girls' 2025 Christmas plans go, it seems that a holiday at Sandringham is still in the cards. As reported by the Daily Mail, both Eugenie and Beatrice were invited to the king's annual celebration, despite the fact that their parents have been excluded from the festivities. And, the way that royal expert, Andrew Lownie, sees things, the girls will likely attend.

Speaking to Cosmopolitan UK about the princesses' big holiday decision, Lownie noted, "Beatrice and Eugenie's business careers have predicated on their remaining princesses and remaining in the royal fold. So we will see them want to maintain that." In practice, what would this entail? In Lownie's words, "go[ing] to Sandringham and muck[ing] in with the big party rather than with their parents."

Although it may not be easy for Beatrice or Eugenie to choose the crown over their parents, attending Christmas at Sandringham may be the best way to cement their royal futures. The girls may also face some pressure to accept the invites, as spending the holiday with their parents could generate gossip. As royal expert, Neil Sean, told Fox News Digital, "the royal family wants to be seen as united amid what has been a very difficult year."

Despite the fact that Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie will likely attend Christmas at Sandringham, it has been suggested that the girls may still try to squeeze their parents into their busy holiday schedule. Beatrice — who resides in the U.K. — is said to be facing particularly strong pressure concerning her final decision for the holidays. Although she allegedly feels somewhat obligated to accept King Charles III's invitation to go to Sandringham, the princess also wants to visit her father, ex-Prince Andrew, for Christmas. She even has personal commitments in the Cotswolds with her husband, Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi. As a source close to Beatrice bemoaned to the Daily Mail, the princess "has to be in three places at once" for the holiday.

To resolve this problem, Beatrice may have to do a whole lot of traveling. The same insider told the Daily Mail, "Unless she makes a decision to pick one side and one side only, she will spend a lot of time in the car." While this may be far from ideal, it points to the new reality, with Beatrice and Eugenie very much trapped between their royal duties and personal obligations. "Overall, it falls to the princesses to soothe family divisions. They are struggling with Christmas," the source added. Because Eugenie spends so much of her time in Portugal, she may try to avoid this sticky situation altogether by remaining abroad.

Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie are not the only people under pressure to navigate the tense dynamics of Christmas with the royal family. Queen Camilla's children, Tom Parker Bowles and Laura Lopes, also have to face the annual predicament about whether to spend the holiday at Sandringham with the royals or at home with their own families. Speaking to the Daily Mail, Tom Parker Bowles confirmed that he would not be attending King Charles III's 2025 Christmas celebration. "I'm not [spending Christmas at Sandringham]. Nor is my sister. It'll be every other year, one year on, one year off," he revealed. Parker Bowles spent the holiday with his mother in 2024.

While Camilla's son may not have most glamorous of Christmas plans for 2025, he is looking forward to spending time with his children. As he told Vanity Fair, prior to the holiday in 2024, he usually does the same thing: "For the past 15 years it has been: I go back to my ex-wife's house, sit in my tracksuit bottoms, go to the pub while the beef's in, then try to get my children to watch "The Wild Geese." Classic." Apparently, he only began the tradition of going to Sandringham every other year because Camilla had asked him in light of her old age. "My mum said, "I'd love you to come, I haven't had Christmas with you for a long time,"" Parker Bowles revealed.

Ever since Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex, first stepped away from the British royal family in 2019, they have not spent Christmas at Sandringham — preferring to enjoy a quieter holiday at home. Given the tensions between Harry, Prince William, and King Charles III, some sources claim that the rebellious prince was not even issued an invite to the royal family's 2025 Christmas celebrations. As royal expert, Christopher Andersen, told the Standard, "Harry and Meghan are persona non grata these days, at least as far as King Charles and the royal family are concerned. They were, understandably, not invited to Christmas at Sandringham — in part because there is no way Meghan would accept, and no way Harry would attend without her."

Because of this, it is believed that Harry and Meghan will celebrate Christmas with Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet at their Montecito, California, home. And, just because the couple will miss out on some of the royal family's favorite holiday traditions does not mean that the Sussexes lack rituals of their own. In the same interview, Andersen revealed that Meghan is a huge fan of pulling Christmas crackers. "Only in her case, she goes the extra mile and makes them herself. She scribbles little personalized notes to slip inside them, along with confetti and some candy," he revealed. Christmas brunch is also likely in the plans.

While it seems like Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex, will probably steer clear of the royal family's 2025 Christmas celebration at Sandringham, there's always a small chance that King Charles III will extend them an olive branch invitation. Speaking to the International Business Times, an insider claimed that Charles was on the fence about including Harry in his holiday plans. "An invitation to Prince Harry has not been completely ruled out if the king truly wants to spend time with his immediate family," the source dished. "There has always been a sense that the emotional door was never fully closed."

Given the king's cancer diagnosis, it might make sense for him to reach out to Harry and mend old wounds. As the aforementioned insider put it in the same interview, "After such a turbulent year, particularly given the king's health and the continuing repercussions from dealing with Prince Andrew, it is understandable that Charles would want this Christmas to carry deeper meaning." That deeper meaning could very well be familial connection, and a reunion with Harry would certainly fit the bill. That being said, there have allegedly been concerns that Charles has lost sight of the danger that Harry poses to the monarchy. A second source told the International Business Times that Charles may be making decisions "guided more by his own mortality than by royal protocol."

Regardless of who will be attending the royal family's Christmas at Sandringham in 2025, it's clear that the palace wants to shield the king's guests from public view. There is typically a no-fly zone surrounding most of the Sandringham Estate, preventing drones and other equipment from capturing a shot of the Windsors' yearly celebration. On September 22, 2025, however, said no-fly zone was extended to a larger portion of the property — including Marsh Farm. Per a statement issued by the British Secretary of State, "It has been agreed by the Civil Aviation Authority and the Department for Transport that flying should be restricted in the vicinity of the specified areas for reasons of public safety and security" (per Hello).

Given this major change in Sandringham's security, there has been a lot of speculation about what the extended no-fly zone could mean. Multiple major news outlets have speculated that the no-fly zone could pertain to ex-Prince Andrew's big move to Marsh Farm. However, it should be noted that these security measures were enacted before the disgraced royal agreed to abandon his abode at the Royal Lodge. Interestingly, these changes were announced less than two weeks after Prince Harry and King Charles III had a private meeting where it is believed they tried to reconcile. Could the increased security measures at Sandringham have been made to pave the way for a Christmas visit from the Sussexes? Only time will tell.

The British royal family can expect to spend their Christmas at Sandringham doing what they always do — maintaining tradition. However, in 2025, a workers' movement could impact the royals' annual holiday. As reported by the Express, British oil delivery drivers have announced their intentions to go on strike to negotiate better working conditions. This would deprive quite a lot of people of oil for heating — and could certainly make for a pretty chilly holiday at the Sandringham Estate.

Even if the royals' 2025 Christmas ends up colder than planned, it is thought that they will still carry on with their traditions. There are, after all, many strange rules that royals must follow over the holidays, and most entail a strict schedule of carefully planned events. Chatting with Grazia, royal expert, Ingrid Seward, offered the public a glimpse into the intricate world of these annual festivities. "Guests are expected to enter the dining room in order of seniority. Then the head chef carves the turkey and, after lunch, the crackers are pulled," Seward explained. 

If the royals do go without oil at Christmastime, they could always enjoy these family rituals by the fire. Built in 1870 for the future King Edward VII, Sandringham is known to boast several cozy fireplaces — perfect for both keeping warm and maintaining the holiday spirit.