King Charles Gives a Rare Look Inside the Royal Residence Where the Family Celebrates Christmas
On Thursday, July 24, the King hosted President Maia Sandu of Moldova and Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India at his Sandringham Estate in Norfolk, located about 100 miles north of London.
The leaders shook hands for photos in the saloon, Sandringham House's main reception room. A fireplace is seen in the background along with large plants placed throughout the room, which receives plenty of natural light thanks to large windows.
🇲🇩 The President of the Republic of Moldova visited The King this morning at Sandringham House. pic.twitter.com/vgNrNo4OlE
— The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) July 24, 2025
The King was given a tree to be planted this autumn, inspired by the environmental initiative launched by the Indian Prime Minister, which encourages people to plant a tree in tribute to their mothers.
Sandringham is a beloved estate for the royal family and where they typically spend Christmas and New Year's. The tradition was started by the late Queen Elizabeth in 1988, meaning all of her grandchildren grew up holidaying in Norfolk.
However, the house's holiday significance dates back even earlier than that. Sandringham House was where the late monarch delivered her first-ever televised Christmas message in 1957.
Can't get enough of PEOPLE's Royals coverage? to get the latest updates on Kate Middleton, Meghan Markle and more!
This afternoon, The King received the Prime Minister of the Republic of India, @NarendraModi, at Sandringham House. 🇮🇳During their time together, His Majesty was given a tree to be planted this Autumn, inspired by the environmental initiative launched by the Prime Minister, 'Ek… pic.twitter.com/9nhigoCgkw
— The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) July 24, 2025
These days, the family's holiday traditions are being passed on to a new generation. On Christmas Eve, they gather for a formal, black-tie dinner and to exchange gifts. In his 2023 memoir, Spare, Prince Harry recalled how the royal gift exchange might differ from the average family.
'We were at Sandringham in a big room with a long table covered with white cloth and white name cards. By custom, at the start of the night, each of us located our place, stood before our mound of presents," he wrote. "Then suddenly, everyone began opening at the same time. A free-for-all, with scores of family members talking at once and pulling at bows and tearing at wrapping paper.'
On Christmas morning, the family walks together to St. Mary Magdalene Church, a 16th-century parish located on the Sandringham Estate, greeting locals, fans and members of the press along the way. After the service, they walk back to Sandringham House to enjoy the day together.
While the holiday gathering this year will almost certainly include King Charles and Queen Camilla, as well as Prince William, Kate Middleton and their children — Prince George, 12, Princess Charlotte, 10, and Prince Louis, 7 — some members of the royal family have split off from the celebration in recent years. Last Christmas, for example, both Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie spent the holidays with their in-laws.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle haven't taken part in Christmas with the royal family since 2018, the year they married. Amid the couple's rift with the royals and Harry's recent declaration that he "can't see a world in which I would be bringing my wife and children back to the U.K.," their children — Prince Archie, 6, and Princess Lilibet, 4 — have never experienced the holidays at Sandringham.
In a few weeks, King Charles and the royal family will likely gather in Scotland at the Balmoral estate, where they traditionally spend time each summer.
Read the original article on People
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
5 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Queen Elizabeth's grandson is engaged four years after divorce
The royal debuted his new fiancée in a magazine photo shoot. Peter Phillips, the eldest grandson of the late Queen Elizabeth II, is officially engaged. The 47-year-old, who is the son of Princess Anne and Captain Mark Phillips, confirmed his engagement to Harriet Sperling, a pediatric nurse and freelance writer, on Friday. A spokesperson for the couple said in a statement shared with CNN that 'both families were informed jointly of the announcement and were delighted with the wonderful news of their engagement.' The spokesperson added that King Charles, Queen Camilla, Prince William, and Princess Kate have all been informed — but no wedding date has been set yet. Phillips and Sperling announced their engagement with a magazine-style reveal, posing together in a field for a photo shoot in Hello!, with Sperling's ring clearly on display. The couple have reportedly been dating since at least May 2024, when they were spotted at the Badminton Horse Trials with Phillips' daughters and Queen Camilla. Sperling, whose late father was Rupert Sanders, works for the U.K.'s National Health Service and has written publicly about her experience with postpartum depression. Phillips was previously married to Canadian-born Autumn Kelly, with whom he shares two daughters, Savannah, 14, and Isla, 13. The couple divorced amicably in 2021 and share custody of their children. Solve the daily Crossword
USA Today
7 minutes ago
- USA Today
She's 109 and still loves when the motorcycles roar at the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally
STURGIS, SOUTH DAKOTA – At the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, it's not all bikinis and debauchery. Some just come to feel the omnipresent rumble, to wave to the bikers and to take in the smell of fried food and fuel. And they come back for it year after year (after year). This year's 85th annual rally is expected to bring in a record number of guests, surpassing 700,000 bikers who will crowd Main Street in Sturgis, South Dakota Aug. 1-10, filling the campgrounds, mingling at the Buffalo Chip, looping through the Black Hills and screaming along with ZZ Top, Gene Simmons, Nickelback, Jason Aldean and Marilyn Manson. Some of them may pass by the home of a local woman who won't make it this year, but has been a part of Sturgis lore since the beginning. 'Fascinated' by motorcycles since 1938 At 109 years old, Hazel (Bush) Baumberger is the oldest living South Dakotan and a longtime admirer of the rally. She was there for the first one in 1938, when she and her husband, Art, heard about dirt track races in the Black Hills and choked on dust for a few days. Local Indian Motorcycle dealer Clarence 'Pappy' Hoel founded the rally with nine stuntmen bikers in 1938. Before that, Sturgis hosted horse races in the 1870s. Hoel continued to evolve what began as the Black Hills Motor Classic, from racing and stunts to live music, bike shows and rides through the Black Hills. According to the City of Sturgis, demographics for the rally today hover around 62% male riders and 37% female, around ages 45 to 65. The city sees up to 20 times more traffic, especially during the second and third day of the rally, and top visitors come from New York, Texas, California, Wyoming and Colorado. Baumberger, though, doesn't own a motorcycle. She doesn't wear leather. And, no, she never made it to one of the infamous rock concerts at The Buffalo Chip outside of town. What to know about the rally: Bikers head west for Sturgis' milestone anniversary But you would've seen her on Lazelle Street, and she'd always don a rally T-shirt with a Harley-Davidson pin on her lapel. 'Motorcycles fascinated her,' said Sandra Griese, Baumberger's 79-year-old niece who still spends time her with 'Annie' every week. 'I don't even know why, but she loves the chrome, and she loves the noise," Griese said. And the rally came to love her. Hells Angels and temporary tattoos Baumberger was recently named the South Dakota Centenarian of the Year, a title she bestowed last year as well. She's the longest-serving member of the South Dakota Health Care Association's Century Club, and she's still a chatty and chipper resident at Peaceful Pines Senior Living in Fort Pierre, South Dakota. 'She manages to amaze us every day here,' said Jalen Bame, executive director of Peaceful Pines. Baumberger has been living there since it opened last year. But she has so many stories to tell, how could she idle? More: Donald Trump at the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally? Sen. Mike Rounds extends the invite Her last visit to the rally was in 2015, when she rode in on the back of her great nephew's Harley-Davidson at 99 years old. 'It was the most wonderful day I ever had,' Griese recalled Baumberger saying then. But, oh, the other wonderful days she had. Her nephew Jim Bush lives in Sturgis and served as the city's police chief from 1990-2016, a safe guide for Baumberger through the chaos. On one of her annual trips to the rally, Bush told her the Hells Angels motorcycle club was riding through town, and she insisted on having a look. He drove her and her sister, Rose – a longtime travel companion – downtown and told them to stay on the sidewalk. 'But ... they wanted as close to those motorcycles as they could get,' Griese said. Her great niece, Michelle Kohn, said Baumberger was once asked if she would've gone on a ride with one of them had they offered. 'Hell, yeah!' Baumberger said. 'She's fearless,' said Kohn, who plans to attend the rally this year with her Honda Rebel. Her nephew, the former police chief, often threw her in the back of his police cruiser to parade her through town. She'd roll down her window and wave at all the passersby. 'You know,' she told Bush, 'I bet everyone thinks we're drunk and going to jail.' And she loved the attention nonetheless. Baumberger was likely the most innocent darling of the rally. She never really drank beer, never camped, maybe gambled in a bit a bit just to pull down the lever and hear the jingle of the machines, and only managed a fake tattoo on her arm. 'But she did try to convince her friends at coffee that she and Rose got a real one,' Griese said. 'They had a bang out of that.' Someone get her some leather Baumberger was a farm girl, first in rural Onida, South Dakota, and then helping her husband on his farm with cattle and labor. She still owns their farmland today. She never had any children but her 14 nieces and nephews would take turns driving her to the rally after she couldn't drive herself anymore. She never remarried after Art died, but she led an annual Bush family reunion for nearly 90 years. Griese said she was 'very flashy,' dressed well and always pressed her jeans 'with the crease down the middle.' But she never donned a Harley-Davidson leather jacket (although the company did send her some swag once, many stickers of which adorn her walker at Peaceful Pines). Last year, her family organized a 'Rally for Hazel,' inviting bikers to stop by Peaceful Pines so she could see the motorcycles and maybe share stories. There was cake, lemonade and poker chips. There are no plans for another drive-by for Baumberger this year, but perhaps the centenarian will listen for the growl of a hog still, her lullaby as she rides toward yet another decade. Angela George is a trending news reporter for the USA Today Network. She'll be covering the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally in the Black Hills through Aug. 8. Email ageorge@ with tips.
Yahoo
29 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Camera Captures Haunting Photo of King Charles Staring Off into the Distance
Another day, another stunning royal photo. This week, fans were treated to an adorable birthday portrait of Prince George (and a cute behind-the-scenes video with siblings Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis). But now, the latest royal image turning heads features none other than King Charles and it's definitely a departure from his usual warm-and-smiley snapshots. On July 22, during a visit to Newmarket in West England, King Charles stopped by the Jockey Club Rooms to meet with staff and club members. While the event itself was classic royal fare, one particular close-up photo caught my eye. In the shot, Charles isn't flashing his signature smile. Instead, he looks tight-lipped, his piercing blue eyes gazing intently at something out of frame. Maybe he was just deeply focused on someone speaking but the lighting, his expression and the overall mood of the photo are giving serious intensity. Tim Rooke -Buckingham Palace shared more photos from the outing on social media, including a much cheerier lead image of Their Majesties smiling together. Queen Camilla wore a black-and-white patterned dress while Charles opted for a sharp tan suit. "Their Majesties visited @TheNationalStud, meeting those involved in industry-leading stud services, educational programmes, and charities improving access to British horse racing for young people," the caption read. It continued, "Later, at King Edward VII Memorial Hall, The King and Queen met members of local community groups and businesses. Their Majesties ended the day at @TheJockeyClub, which was founded in 1750 and is today the largest employer and commercial organisation in British horseracing and one of the leading sports businesses in the UK." Of course, this isn't the first solemn-looking photo of King Charles. Earlier this month, a photo was released to mark the 20th anniversary of the 7/7 bombings in London. It captured the monarch standing alone in a dark suit at the memorial site, a quiet moment of reflection that struck an emotional chord. Whether smiling, laughing or caught in a pensive moment, one thing's for sure, the royals always photograph well. Want all the latest royal news sent right to your inbox? Click here. King Charles Gives a Rare Health Update During Royal Outing Solve the daily Crossword
