King Charles will mark a return to a traditional royal family Christmas when he spends the holiday at Sandringham on the Norfolk estate.
The wider family will join the monarch and Queen Consort Camilla as they have their poignant first Christmas since the death of the late queen and the king’s accession to the throne.
King Charles’s plan to travel to Sandringham was announced by Buckingham Palace on Thursday.
Queen Elizabeth II hosted her family at Sandringham House over the festive period throughout the decades.
It follows a two-year break when, due to the Covid pandemic, the late queen spent Christmas at Windsor Castle two years in a row — the first with the Duke of Edinburgh — separated from her wider family in lockdown.
Royal Christmases usually feature a morning trip to St Mary Magdalene Church, the greeting of well-wishers, and a family lunch with turkey and all the trimmings.
The Prince and Princess of Wales and their children Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis are often among the gathered guests.
King Charles is also preparing to record his historic, first Christmas broadcast as monarch, where he will no doubt reflect on the loss of his mother and her legacy.
Traditionally, members of the royal family sit down to watch the televised address when it is broadcast after lunch, usually at 3pm on Christmas day.
Meanwhile, Windsor Castle has been made ready for Christmas, with a six-metre tree in St George’s Hall decorated in 3,000 lights and hundreds of regal purple ribbons.
It took a team of four staff from the Royal Collection Trust two days to dress the Berkshire royal residence’s festive trees.
