The Royal Family kept to tradition as they celebrated Christmas at Sandringham. What Prince George, Princess Charlotte, Prince Louis, and the other royals got for Christmas is, naturally, unknown, but we’re sure they enjoyed some festive days full of presents, great food, and good company.
On Christmas morning, the Royal Family greeted well-wishers as they took a walk to mark the occasion with their customary visit to St. Mary Magdalene Church. This year, Prince Louis was wearing a completely different outfit than in previous years, which led to many royal fans declaring themselves upset.
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While the kids appeared to have a good time, one body language expert is now claiming claims that Prince Louis was excited but impatient. As a result, his father, Prince William, reacted with a special gesture to help calm his youngest son.
Upon waking up on Christmas day – after having a formal dinner on Christmas Eve, often including Norfolk shrimp and lamb – the Royal Family is said to enjoy a classic English breakfast of eggs, sausages, bacon, and beans.
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Then, after the traditional visit to St Mary Magdalene Church, they eat a Christmas lunch, the main course of which is a roast turkey.
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US Weekly has previously reported that the family members also have upheld Henry VII’s tradition of “weighing in before and after Christmas lunch.”
At 3 p.m., the Royal Family sits down to watch the annual Christmas speech on television – Queen Elizabeth’s annual speech was a highlight for many. This year marked King Charles’ second time doing the speech. In the address, he spoke of faith and compassion and thanked the “selfless army” of volunteers.
“Over this past year, my heart has been warmed by countless examples of the imaginative ways in which people are caring for one another – going the extra mile to help those around them simply because they know it is the right thing to do: at work and at home; within and across communities,” Charles said in his Christmas speech.
“My wife and I were delighted when hundreds of representatives of that selfless army of people – volunteers who serve their communities in so many ways and with such distinction – were able to join us in Westminster Abbey for the coronation earlier this year.”
He added: “They are an essential backbone of our society. Their presence meant so much to us both and emphasized the meaning of coronation itself: above all, a call to us all to serve one another, to love and care for all.”
Moreover, King Charles brought up the subject of the many bloody conflicts worldwide, saying that he is hoping for peace.
“At a time of increasingly tragic conflict around the world, I pray that we can also do all in our power to protect each other. The words of Jesus seem more than ever relevant: ‘Do to others as you would have them do to you. Such values are universal, drawing together our Abrahamic family of religions and other belief systems across the Commonwealth and wider world,” he said.
Prince Louis makes headlines over outfit at church visit
“They remind us to imagine ourselves in the shoes of our neighbors and to seek their good as we would our own. So on this Christmas Day, my heart and my thanks go to all who are serving one another; all who are caring for our common home; and all who see and seek the good of others, not least the friend we do not yet know. In this way, we bring out the best in ourselves. I wish you a Christmas of ‘peace on Earth and goodwill to all’, today and always.”
Christmas at Sandringham is a private event to which only the most senior members of the Royal Family are usually invited. As mentioned, the traditional visit to St. Mary Magdalene Church is ever a unique opportunity for the public to see the royals in the midst of their Christmas cheer.
This year was no different. However, when it came to the youngest of Prince William and Kate Middleton’s children, Prince Louis, it was a particular outfit that made the headlines.
While walking to church, the Prince and Princess of Wales’ family had all coordinated to wear blue and green outfits. Until now, even in the winter, we’ve gotten used to seeing Louis with knee socks and shorts. But that changed on Christmas Day.
“This was the first time we saw his little brother Louis wear a blazer and tie in public, and the fact that the Princess of Wales chose sky blue rather than navy made the outfit more fun and age-appropriate,” British children’s wear designer Rachel Riley told People Magazine.
“He also matched perfectly with his mother and sister, something which he can still do as the youngest sibling.”
As mentioned, Prince Louis wore shorts last year even though it was winter, and in fact, Prince George also wore the same winter outfits when he was younger.
Royal fans were worried over Louis’ shorts outfit
According to etiquette expert William Hanson, the outfit with shorts is a tradition dating back to the 16th century.
“It’s a very English thing to dress a young boy in shorts,” he told Harper’s Bazaar. “Trousers are for older boys and men, whereas shorts on young boys is one of those silent class markers that we have in England.”
“Although times are slowly changing, a pair of trousers on a young boy is considered quite middle class – quite suburban. And no self-respecting aristo or royal would want to be considered suburban,” Hanson added.
However, royal fans were not impressed with it at all. Some were outraged.
The fact that his legs were exposed to the chilly December weather left people concerned that Louis would be cold. A few even speculated that it might increase his risk of falling sick.
“Prince Louis looks adorable except for the shorts,” one person wrote on Twitter, as reported by The Sun.
“Absolutely ridiculous to use such an outdated and classist style convention on a freezing day. People are sitting with blankets.”
Another person added: “Why is Louis wearing shorts on such a cold day?”
“Poor Prince Louis in the cold in lil shorts,” a third wrote.
For this year’s church service at St Mary Magdalene’s Church in Sandringham, Prince Louis was joined by many other Royal Family members.
Prince Louis looked ‘impatient’ at church – but William came to his rescue
Princess Anne and Vice Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence were present alongside Princess Beatrice and Eugenie. Sarah Ferguson also attended the morning church service for the first time in more than 30 years!
Prince Louis held the hands of his father and his second cousin Mia Tindall as they made their way to church on Christmas morning. Yet itt appeared as though some thing was making Louis impatient.
According to body language expert Judi James, Prince William decided to act, calming his youngest son with a special gesture.
Speaking with the Mirror, James said the young boy was excited and impatient.
“Louis, like most small children on Christmas morning, looked excited but also impatient,” the body language expert said.
“Zara’s daughter had been given the job of anchoring his left hand while William held onto his right, and even then, he looked so excited he was pulling on his dad’s arm to get into the service.”
Judi James continued; “William placed a cupped hand on the back of Louis’s head in a gesture of affection but also of calming a child down. But even as he waited to do the greeting rituals with the clergy, Louis crossed one lower leg over the other as though keen to get launched into his Christmas Day.”
Stole the spotlight at Trooping the Colour
Prince Louis has been known to put on quite the show at royal engagements.
Meanwhile, quiet gestures from his parents to help steer he and his siblings are common. Indeed, it’s been reported that Princess Kate has some secret signals for her kids.
During their carriage ride at the Trooping the Colour earlier this year, the three young royals greeted the crowd of around 8,000 people who had come to celebrate King Charles’s ‘birthday.’
Prince George and Prince Louis wore navy jackets with red ties, while Princess Charlotte wore a sweet white dress with red accents. All three children were well-behaved and smiled at the crowd. That was until Prince Louis again took it upon himself to become the event’s main character.
At one point, Louis was pictured either holding a sneeze, trying not to laugh openly, or simply reacting to a bad smell. Maybe it was the horses? He then sat up in the carriage and turned around, trying to understand better what was happening around him.
During the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebration in 2022, Prince Louis was seen misbehaving, sticking out his tongue at his mother and pulling a series of faces.
Kate used ‘secret code’ to help her children calm down
But it turns out that Kate Middleton used a secret code phrase on her children to get them to calm down. Apparently, it works every time.
“When Prince Louis misbehaved at the late Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, for example, by sticking his tongue out at his mother, Kate’s reaction was praised by teams of expert commentators,” author Tom Quinn wrote in his book Gilded Youth: An Intimate History of Growing Up In The Royal Family.
“She apparently used a secret code to calm the children, as she does on occasions — she simply says, ‘Let’s take a break’. But as a former staffer explained, the children know these few words carry far more weight than we might imagine.”
Speaking to Fabulous, body language expert Judy James also touched on Kate’s secret signals to ensure her kids remain on their best behavior and are kept feeling “enthusiastic.”
“She beamed with pride when Louis started miming drumming along with the band in the carriage,” James said. “Talking to her children, there were a couple of gestures of what looked like guidance about when to wave.”
“Small reward nods and smiles for their good behaviour”
The body language expert concluded: “There was also a spreading gesture of both hands that would normally mean quite a severe message of when to stop or what not to do, too,” the body language expert added.
“She also put her hands below public view in the carriage to mime that ‘stop’ or ‘end’ sign to them as though warning them where the boundaries were, and on the way back she was doing small reward nods and smiles for their good behaviour, to ensure they were enjoying the event too.”
