Kate Middleton and Prince William Take George, Charlotte and Louis to Church on Christmas Morning
Geoff Robinson/SplashNews.com Prince William and Kate Middleton
Merry Christmas from the Cambridges!
Kate Middleton and Prince William were spotted taking their kids to church on Christmas morning.
Eight-year-old Prince George, 6-year-old Princess Charlotte and 3-year-old Prince Louis piled into the family car as they left the church service at St. Mary Magdalene Church on the Queen's Sandringham estate on Saturday.
William was behind the wheel in a shirt, jacket and tie, while Kate wore a plaid jacket and a feathered hat. The three kids, with Charlotte sitting between her brothers, peered out the window from the backseat as they made their way home to Anmer Hall.
Earlier in the day, William and Kate shared a personal message on social media, writing, "This Christmas will be different to what so many of us had planned," the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge wrote in an Instagram post on Saturday. "From those who are alone or having to isolate away from loved ones, to the incredible people supporting our NHS and caring for those most in need — we are thinking of you. W & C."
Geoff Robinson/SplashNews.com Prince William, Kate Middleton, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis
The outing marks Louis' first Christmas church service. George and Charlotte made their Christmas Day debut in 2019 when they joined their parents for the royal family's traditional Christmas walk to church.
Prince George and Princess Charlotte have been attending important family occasions since their youngest days. And Louis is starting to join his older siblings on outings as well.
Geoff Robinson/SplashNews.com Prince William, Prince George and Kate Middleton
"Louis has gotten so big now — he's very quick running around," the royal mom said last spring. "And he's on his little scooter as well. He's very quick. I can't keep up with him!"
The Cambridge kids are "all very polite children," a family friend told PEOPLE, "but they have a little twinkle in their eyes. They have all the right ingredients."
Just like last year, Queen Elizabeth canceled the royal family's traditional Christmas celebrations at Sandringham amid a surge in COVID-19 cases in the U.K. The Cambridge family marked the holiday at their country home, Anmer Hall. They are being joined by members of the Middleton family.
Joe Giddens/PA Images via Getty Kate Middleton, Princess Charlotte, Prince William and Prince George at Christmas 2019
William and Kate recently shared a new family photo that is featured on their 2021 Christmas card. Kate, William, George, Charlotte and Louis smile for the portrait taken during a private family trip to Jordan earlier this year.
The Queen is spending Christmas at Windsor Castle, where she will be joined by Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall.
Duke and Duchess of Cambridge/Instagram The Cambridge family's 2021 Christmas card
Charles and Camilla attended the morning church service at St. George's Chapel along with Prince Edward and Sophie, Countess of Wessex, and the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester.
Earlier this month, William shared his own childhood Christmas memories from the royal family's walk to church.
"My family spend their Christmases in Norfolk at Sandringham, which is in the U.K. Walking along here, you've got big pine trees that are quite synonymous with this part of Norfolk. And I love the smell of pine in the winter. It's very soothing," he said in a special episode of Apple Fitness+ for their Time to Walk series.
"I have strong memories of walking down here, and my grandfather, he used to walk so fast that there'd be huge gaps and spaces between all of us walking down, and there'd be us at the back with little legs trying to keep up," he added. You know, I think, over time, you start to feel quite attached to those moments and those memories before."
Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Kate Middleton, Prince William, Prince Louis, Princess Charlotte and Prince George
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William also revealed that the pews inside St. Mary Magdalene Church face each other, which provided endless entertainment for him and his cousins as children.
"And what's very good about it is that we sit opposite each other as a family, and growing up, having my cousins sat opposite me has always been quite difficult to keep a straight face at times. I have had the giggles many, many times in the service," he said. "Luckily, no one's filming it. So you can get away with it, and on Christmas Day, it's fun to have a giggle and enjoy yourself."
