As I said before, I thought the Windsors’ Christmas morning church-walk was positive overall. There was a lot of attention on the Waleses, including the three kids, and King Charles looked happy and benevolent as he surrounded himself with his nieces and nephews and their children. For the life of me, I do not understand why royalists and royal reporters are bitching about the church-walk or trying to turn it into a melodrama. Was the church-walk boring overall? Sure. Was it forgettable? Absolutely. But that’s a net positive for this family, right? Well, Rob Shuter claims that there was and is a lot of drama between Charles and Prince William over the inclusion of Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie. It’s not *really* about B&E though.
Prince William strongly opposed King Charles’s decision to include Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie in the family’s highly choreographed Christmas church walk — but the King overruled him, igniting fresh palace infighting that insiders say is now more serious than anything involving Prince Harry.
Multiple sources tell me William warned that publicly parading Prince Andrew’s daughters would drag the monarchy back into scandal at the worst possible moment. “William said it was a disaster waiting to happen,” one court insider revealed. “He argued the timing was toxic and that it would hurt everyone involved — especially the sisters.”
Charles disagreed — and as monarch, his word was final. “Charles doesn’t like being told what not to do,” another source said. “This quickly became about authority. He made the call even knowing William objected.”
Behind closed doors, aides say tensions between father and son are now openly simmering.
“Charles actually has more trouble with William than Harry,” one insider confided. “Harry walked away. William stayed — and challenges him.”
Crucially, the move did not help Beatrice and Eugenie. Insiders say the appearance visually tethered them to their disgraced father just as renewed scrutiny tied to the Jeffrey Epstein case resurfaced. “It wasn’t protection,” a source said. “It was exposure.”
William, sources add, is pushing for a tighter, future-facing monarchy that avoids old scandals. Charles, by contrast, remains inclined to close ranks and defy critics — even at the cost of fresh headlines. The result? A Christmas meant to project unity instead exposed a deepening royal rift — one insiders warn could shape the monarchy’s future far more than the Sussex saga ever did.
Did I watch a different Christmas walk or something? Again, my impression was that it went well and that people didn’t really care that Beatrice and Eugenie were there. If anything, it added to the vibe that Charles has good relations with his nieces and nephews. I’m starting to believe that William is behind all of the stories about “the knives are out for Beatrice and Eugenie.” After Andrew Windsor’s unroyaling, a lot of columnists and royalists have really been attacking them steadily. I guess William doesn’t get the same old rush from rage-screaming about how much he hates his brother these days. As for “Charles actually has more trouble with William than Harry”… I mean, yeah. They’ve been saying that for years, that Charles and Harry were always a lot closer and that Charles and William simply do not get along whatsoever. I’ve gotten the impression that William has largely been in the doghouse with Charles for the past two years.
Photos courtesy of Backgrid, Cover Images.
-
- Sandringham, UNITED KINGDOM King Charles III and Queen Camilla host the Royal Family at Sandringham for Christmas. Pictured: Catherine Princess of Wales BACKGRID USA 25 DECEMBER 2025 BYLINE MUST READ: JOHN RAINFORD / BACKGRID USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
-
- Sandringham, UNITED KINGDOM Members of the British Royal Family attend the Christmas Morning Service at St Mary Magdalene Church in Sandringham, Norfolk. Pictured: Catherine, Princess of Wales, Kate Middleton BACKGRID USA 25 DECEMBER 2025 USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
-
- Sandringham, UNITED KINGDOM Members of the British Royal Family attend the Christmas Morning Service at St Mary Magdalene Church in Sandringham, Norfolk. Pictured: Prince George, Prince William, Prince of Wales, Prince Louis, Princess Charlotte and Catherine, Prin BACKGRID USA 25 DECEMBER 2025 USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
-
- Sandringham, UNITED KINGDOM Members of the British Royal Family attend the Christmas Morning Service at St Mary Magdalene Church in Sandringham, Norfolk. Pictured: Queen Camilla and King Charles III BACKGRID USA 25 DECEMBER 2025 USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
-
- Sandringham, UNITED KINGDOM Members of the British Royal Family attend the Christmas Morning Service at St Mary Magdalene Church in Sandringham, Norfolk. Pictured: Prince George, Prince William, Prince of Wales, Prince Louis, Princess Charlotte and Catherine, Prin BACKGRID USA 25 DECEMBER 2025 USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
-
- Sandringham, UNITED KINGDOM Members of the British Royal Family attend the Christmas Morning Service at St Mary Magdalene Church in Sandringham, Norfolk. Pictured: Prince William, Prince of Wales, Prince Louis, Princess Charlotte and Catherine, Princess of Wales, BACKGRID USA 25 DECEMBER 2025 USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
-
- Members of the British Royal Family attend a Christmas Day morning church service at St Mary Magdalene Church in Sandringham, Norfolk Featuring: Edoardo Mozzi, Princess Beatrice Where: Sandringham, Norfolk, United Kingdom When: 25 Dec 2025 Credit: Cover Images **NOT AVAILABLE FOR HELLO MAGAZINE**
-
- Members of the British Royal Family attend a Christmas Day morning church service at St Mary Magdalene Church in Sandringham, Norfolk Featuring: King Charles III, Queen Camilla Where: Sandringham, Norfolk, United Kingdom When: 25 Dec 2025 Credit: Cover Images **NOT AVAILABLE FOR HELLO MAGAZINE**
-
- Members of the British Royal Family attend a Christmas Day morning church service at St Mary Magdalene Church in Sandringham, Norfolk Featuring: King Charles III, Queen Camilla Where: Sandringham, Norfolk, United Kingdom When: 25 Dec 2025 Credit: Cover Images **NOT AVAILABLE FOR HELLO MAGAZINE**
Unfortunately neither Will nor Kate are generous and inclusive when it comes to anybody apart from themselves, their kids and the Midds. It really is, ALL ABOUT WILL and WHAT WILL WANTS WILL GETS. They want to clutch all the goodies and limelight but without doing any work. I really don’t this is a sustainable model for the future of RF but stupid is as stupid does.
Is it that Will fears B&E — and any other royals of his generation — for their capacity to dilute his power? That he feels threatened by others’ potential because he sees so little himself?
He could still choose to invest in himself, to improve his self-awareness and abilities through therapy and education. It’s *always* an option, especially given unlimited funds.
But yes, laziness and stupidity will probably win out, LADY DIGBY. Squandered resources, anyone?
Well the nuts have to dream up some drama and they know Chuckles and Peg are at odds so let’s drag Eugenie and Beatrice into the mix for some added crap. The walk looked boring but no one was going for anybodies throat so they had to make up some s**t!
Yeah, I’m confused about how Bea and Eugenie looked bad here. Am I missing something? They came, they walked they smiled. It does feel made up. Like Kaiser, I’m also wondering if William is behind the stories. Maybe he wants to take their titles too.
Wouldn’t put it past him that he wants to take their titles too. I think it’s because, especially with Eugenie, they have not picked a side between him and Harry and it makes him very angry.
I tend to think he wants to. Then it’ll look less bad if he takes Harry’s also. That way the only hrh Prince/Princess will be just his kids. That’s his vision. He just has to figure out the “best” reasoning for explaining it to the public. Not sure there is a good one though. And then that also puts a lot of attention on his kids if they are the only ones, which is kind of messed up. For someone who wants privacy for his family it doesn’t seem like the best route. But no one said he’s that smart.
William can make up any excuse he likes, but most will know it is racism and jealously.
@Jais
Louise Edinburg & James Wessex ARE Princess & Prince plus have HRH. They just do not by CHOICE use the styles HRH and Princess/Prince.
@Sunniside up
CKIII is many thing but he is NOT a garden-variety hater as is Peggington. CKIII will NOT pass the sins of the father to the daughters. This, IMAO, is how it should be.
It looks as if Will is desperate to feed his media beasts but has nothing about the Sussexes to feed them, so he’s giving them this made up drama with Beatrice and Eugenie being at the walk as replacement. The walk was the usual plain white lightly toasted bread without butter, jam or honey on it, so it was back to the usual boring royal Christmas walk where there wasn’t anything juicy to complain about, so they made one up.
Well we know Sykes and a few other rota are William’s mouthpieces, and sure enough, Sykes had an incandescent piece about the York sisters being included. I love that the commenters on Sykes’ Daily Beast column (I would never subscribe to his substack), and these commenters are mostly pro-Wales, were 95% in favor of including the York sisters and criticizing Sykes for “his” stance.
While Shuter must be hearing from Charles’ or Camilla’s people?
LOVE Camila’s hat, very similar to the one Daffy Duck uses when he plays detective
I died, you made me LOL this morning
I get the feeling that William has been angry with the sisters not because of their father, but because they refused to do something he wanted them to do. So he has been getting his press minions to attack them, and attempting to pull rank by getting them “banned” from family events and this is him lashing out because he was slapped down. Sounds like he had been behind the stories about the sisters skipping Sandringham and no-one told him that they would be there?
In the lead-up to Christmas, I saw a screenshot of a Daily Mail article, one of those whoremembers types. And it was about how Eugenie “wounded “ and mean-girled Kate at Kate’s first Sandringham Christmas walk bc she walked past her on the steps. Anyways, thought it was weird and just a way to make Kate the victim and not the mean girl that she is. Felt like a story coming from Carole or something. But yeah maybe it was an example of the knives being out from William. Or it was a way of pressuring them not to go to Sandringham. It’s funny to imagine William having no idea until the last minute though that the sisters would be there. So yeah maybe he was the one briefing that they wouldn’t be there. Bc he didn’t know, lol. But maybe he wants their titles too.
All these years i heard that it was Kate who was mean to the Yorke sisters. She is the future Queen Consort now but she was a girlfriend for almost a decade, I always thought the Yorke sisters would be crazy to let commoner Kate bully them back them. They are better than me,but they dont strike me as the vindictive type.
Yeah idk it was just one of those weird out of nowhere stories. Why bring it up? Boredom? Shit stirring?
Keen was not secure as being girlfriend scooter cheated on her and broke up with her a few times
@Jais
According to Royal commentators (some legit and some paid-haters), an invitation to Sandringham or Balmoral in not an invite but a command, If the York Princess received an invite (as is confirmed they did) then I am sure that there was no way to refuse said invitation short of laying in a hospital with contagious bubonic plague or death itself. If one is suffering from a gunshot wound, one could be patched-up to engage in the church walk via the aid of a wheelchair.
I still read that as whore members but I digress…. The video of Eugenie not moving out of the way when they get out of the church is so minor but also kate is pissed because she wanted centre stage and Eugenie wasn’t moving for her.
Kate makes it a thing with her snotty look and it’s basically a few seconds of Kate not being able to hog the camera the way she wanted to.
We could go over the years of kate and Pippa being mean girls to the much younger York sisters prior to finally securing the ring, but even this video of the snub shows that once again Kate expects to be treated as the queen even back in 2011.
Wow Nic where is this video available to see?
@ Tessa which should make her a more humble girlfriend instead of thinking it was ok to bully Blood Princesses.
And its only because Harry is a gentleman because the way Kate treated his gf/fiance then wife if he was an a jerk he would have put her in her commoner place.
@jais, I’m thinking that story came from Kate’s camp because this is a total rewrite of history. I couldn’t find the full clip but what happened is Kate of course ran out to the adoring crowds and Eugenie was supposed to go help the queen with her flowers and Kate wouldn’t move and let her pass. It was William that had to tell her to move aside and then Eugenie was able to walk down and Kate gave her an evil stare.
A little backstory, at the time it was reported that while in the church at the end of the service Kate had started to dash out first ahead of the Queen and someone had to literally restrain her by grabbing her arm. Who was that? Eugenie (allegedly). So in the clip that is being shown clearly William is making way for you Eugenie to come down the stairs. Clearly this pissed Kate off and this is a total rewrite of what actually happened, all to make Eugenie look bad. That’s why I think this is coming from Kate’s camp.
I will keep looking for the entire video but even in the short clip that is recently been shown it is clear that William is making way for Eugene to descend the steps. If anything, Kate was mean girling Eugenie and Kate gave her the same kind of stare she gave Megan at the walkabout after the Queen’s death.
Punishing Beatrice and Eugenie for the sins of their parents is not only cruel, it’s just plain stupid. But cruel and stupid seem to be the Wales’ brand.
It’s really stupid bc I’m sure they know where William’s bodies are buried, so if they decide to bite back he better watch out.
But he is incapable of being strategic (and, even worse, he thinks he’s really smart), so I’ll just sit here and watch the fireworks as I sip my morning coffee.
I hold the theory that members of the British tabloid press (The Fail, The Dim and the Mirror) which have Peggington’s ear and access to his Kensington Palace staff are goading him plus his handlers to “punish” the York princesses so they have something to write about that is tabloid click-bait worthy.
I’ve seen an argument along the lines of, “whenever the public sees the York sisters, it’s reminded that the BRF, including QEII, shielded Andrew for decades.” Which, fair enough.
But it also seems like the public doesn’t think the York sisters should be blamed for their fathers’ sins.
Also, William’s line is apparently not that he’s “punishing” the York sisters, but that he’s looking out for them. “William said it was a disaster waiting to happen,” one court insider revealed. “He argued the timing was toxic and that it would hurt everyone involved — especially the sisters.” How touching. Not. Surely the York sisters can decide for themselves whether they’d be hurt by publicity?
I hate kids being punished for parents. Andrew is scandalous pedophile. But his daughters shouldn’t be judged by his crimes. If B&E must be avoided because of Andrew, then same goes to Wales kids. Government or monarchy can assume, Williams lineage will be lazy, if judged by both parents.
I believe it is kate doing this PR, not William involved. Because bringing B&E is threat to Kate not William. They are younger than Kate, can work more, blood princesses. Have better communication skills., no jazz hands, no any demands like Kate. From the very beginning Kate felt intimidated by them. There were stories of not informing dress code for party, QEII made Kate to curtesy them when she was not a princess, then work comparison before meghan entered.
If B&E become full time royals, then meghan vs Kate will become, blood princesses vs Kate. So definitely it is Kate who is going to get destroyed. And TBH, William will be happy to see Kate being sabotaged by comparing to his cousins. I am not praising York sisters or making them look good, but good or bad, the truth is they have and know to make connections. Kate is very much inadequate for such job. I suspect it is only Kate who is opposing York girls.
If Will has an issue with Bea and Eugenie it’s probably because Eugenie is close to Harry & Meghan. So Bea gets the cold shoulder and evil eye by proxy. He is that petty and miserable and really seems to love drama.
I hope those two keep their heads on a swivel with regards to the brat Prince.
I suspect that it is Eugenie’s closeness to Meghan more than anything else. I doubt that William really cares about Andrew, it is all show.
Sometimes these royal reporters need to read the room. I know they’re especially the ones on substack are desperate for the clicks but this narrative wasn’t the one to be pushed. Does Shuter even have sources amongst the royal rota? He always seems to be off-base when it comes to royal stories. I’m not disputing that William and Charles doesn’t get on that’s clear to see but I don’t believe William was demanding that Beatrice and Eugenie weren’t invited to Sandringham. I think if he could he and his family would have skipped Sandringham this year. The bigger story this year was the Royal Family accepting gifts from the crowd and Waleses interaction with some superfans.
@AmyBee I agree with you the big story was the kids accepting gifts and having weird interactions with royal fans. It made me deeply uncomfortable and happy that Archie and Lili aren’t paraded round like show ponies like the Wales kids. I don’t think minor children should have to hug, talks to or take selfies with those strange elderly royal fans. It seems deeply inappropriate. There were so many viral posts about them accepting presents as well, it’s not a good look.
If they have spare presents to give they should give them to the Sally Army for children who have nothing.
My husband and I have made a point of telling our (step)daughter that she can always refuse hugs and kisses if she’s uncomfortable, even if it’s her grandparents or other relatives insisting on it. Most parents we know have established similar rules for their kids, and these days, I think many regard mandatory physical affection as being just as inappropriate as corporal punishment. So to obligate your children to accept that sort of attention from total strangers is pretty damn wild. And it should definitely raise questions about Kate’s alleged early childhood expertise.
All the Wales kids should have been told by their parents no selfies and do not accept gifts
WHY in the world did CKIII not issue a statement saying:
“NO physical gifts will be accepted by the Royal Family but feel free to make a donation to the Sally Army or East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices (EACH) in the name of George, Charlotte or Louis and an official acknowledgement will be sent”.
It really is not that difficult.
BAYTAMPABAY I don’t think that Charles could have known that the crowds were going to bring presents specifically for the Wales kids, besides that is the whole purpose of the Church walk. To give the Rota something to write about and take photos of. They are desperate for attention so they always use royal children to draw attention to themselves. It has always been a sick thing to me. I was happy that Harry and Meghan left before their children would be paraded out in public for clicks and attention. It’s one thing to have your children participate in charity work but something else to parade them out in carriages, on balconies or on walks to church for Christmas. Them being paraded out serves no purpose. It gives me the same vibes as when Harry and his brother were paraded out to the crowds in front of BP after their mother died to the crying public and when they walked behind their mother’s casket. Those boys should have never been used to help the mourning public, it shouldn’t have been their responsibility to help adults. They should have been protected and helped through the loss of their mother. Will and Kate continue to do the same thing with their children of using them as shields from a disappointed public and it sickens me. It doesn’t matter how cute or polite they are, it is inappropriate and cruel. I remember Harry writing about comforting crying crowds after his mother died and for years not being able to really mourn his mother and all I can think about is how these children will be traumatized by the time they are adults.
Maybe these stores are just a distraction from the uncomfortable gift giving.
These days the role of royal relatives is to be cannon fodder to the press so 100% yes to this. It’s William and/or Kate trying to change the conversation.
I still can’t wrap my head around the fact that people come out on Christmas morning to watch this execrable family walk to church. Someone should let them know that Christmas parades are a lot more fun and should be held at night with sparkling lights. This is just—wrong.
But why is William so CRUEL he is not just a jerk or an a***,he is actually a very cruel person. I wonder where he gets that from??? Even Charles isnt as cruel as he is. He would have had a field day during the ‘Off with his Head’ time period.
Charles was cruel to his first wife and the Sussex family. Driving Diana out was a huge mistake and the sussexes too. Evicting the sussexes was unspeakable.
All I saw in this outing was the queen in very bright red, Anne in light red coat and the rest of them in beige colors. I was reminded of Meghan explaining color code in presence of the Queen and that toxic family mocking her about it.
I get the impression that most Brits. don’t believe that the children should be punished for the sins of the parent. I know that Beatrice helped with her father’s interview but she probably didn’t believe he was guilty. It isn’t exactly the sort of thing that a father discusses with his children.
Scoot is the disaster waiting to happen when he becomes king.
I’m going to play devils advocate with my tinfoil tiara for just a moment. We know that Andrew took his daughters with him on various trips to the Middle East, they are friendly with other Middle Eastern royals and Beatrice has been there rather frequently in the last couple of years for work and some play. Perhaps William is seeing that Beatrice is continuing the “work” her father did, along with all the side benefits. Perhaps this is why William didn’t want the sisters there at Christmas, walking with the family, maybe something else is brewing behind the scenes.
Scoot lacks depth. He is all out to remove the Sussex titles.
I don’t think Andrew and Fergie could have wallowed in the mud so deeply and for so long without some of it landing on Beatrice and Eugenie – whether it’s trips to the Middle East, suspiciously large birthday gifts or just knowing some of the details of their parents’ antics. But that’s pretty much business as usual for the royals and it would be hypocritical for William to single them out.
Their regular trips to the region make it pretty likely the York sisters are engaged in some money generating shenanigans with oppressive, human-trafficking regimes, but I doubt William cares about that specifically. This is just what the royals do. His issues with the cousins are probably a lot more personal and petty.
The problem with going after the York sisters for going to the Middle East is that this includes most of the other cousins too plus William himself. I mean that trip to Jordan… it was kept quiet and how do we know there wasn’t money given? Mike and Zara are in the Middle East at lot and some of the older cousins too.
The entire family is friendly with Middle Eastern royals. The UK government needs those ties for oil, getting tourists out of jail, and any other political functions. The UK royals need them for charity donations.
William and Charles closed ranks against Harry and Meghan and ‘evicted’ them from the royal tent (no half in/half out option). Now they have to coexist but despise each other while their establishment minions sabotage and wage war against the Sussexes at every turn with the media as their sword.
For decades the Windsor’s coverups shielded the York family from consequences of Andrew’s involvement with Epstein. Meanwhile, the Yorks were allowed a half in/half out arrangement for years prior to the Sussexes request and Beatrice and Eugenie continue to have that arrangement.
The articles that started since October about William’s differing position regarding the Yorks are attempts to distance William from his previous participation in the years long establishment coverup for Andrew’s involvement with Epstein. They are attempts at PR image cleanup. William is just as culpable as his father in the continued establishment coverup for Andrew. Will the media eventually convince the public that his hands are clean? 🤔 Time will tell.
Conclusion: The Windsor royal ‘mafia’ family/institution is truly toxic and dysfunctional and the establishment via their media arm continues to wield their sword in every battle to keep the Windsor brand relevant and important to Britain’s existence.
I don’t believe a word of it, just as I don’t believe that William is particularly interested in his cousins. Nor do I believe that there is any more conflict than usual in this impulsive and often embarrassing London family. The heir to the throne usually looks so unhappy, annoyed and dismissively arrogant that he is probably just struggling with his own feelings. When you see him smile, it looks frozen or completely exaggerated. Everything these right-wing newspapers write could have been invented by anyone – or, more likely, by AI… You could cite any passer-by who has ever walked past Buckingham Palace as a source. The AI probably takes cheap penny dreadfuls as its model. At least, that’s what it sounds like.
Probably because you don’t even TALK to Harry, you coward. Sounds like the courtiers are itching to get some real truths out there? Here’s hoping. Happy New Year everyone!!
William needs to realize that it isn’t his monarchy yet.
I thought you wanted to focus on your family William? Leave kingship to your dad for now.
The way this family briefs against one another in the press is insane. I am going to guess Charles’ camp felt the need to slip this one into the press. My take is William needs to back off and focus on being a better Prince of Wales. In the charity arena, his father left big shoes to fill.