Meghan Markle and Prince Harry Join Prince William and Kate Middleton for Christmas Day Service
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry are ringing in their first Christmas as husband and wife at Sandringham!
The royal couple, who are expecting their first child in the spring, joined Prince William and Kate Middleton for the royal family’s annual walk to church services in the English countryside on Tuesday morning.
And just like last year, Meghan, 37, and Harry, 34, walked to the Church of St. Mary Magdalene alongside William and Kate.
Meghan, who linked arms with Harry, chatted happily with Kate as they followed closely behind Prince Charles. Will and Kate’s children, Prince George, 5, Princess Charlotte, 3, and Prince Louis, 8 months, stayed behind at home at nearby Anmer Hall.
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Kate wore a festive red coat dress with a matching hat and shoes, while Meghan opted for a deep navy dress and a Victoria Beckham coat with a matching fascinator. She also carried a black leather powder box by Victoria Beckham.
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The couples delighted well-wishers who lined the route surrounding the 16th-century church to catch a glimpse of the royal family on the Queen’s Sandringham estate in Norfolk, about 100 miles north of London. After the church service ended, the royals greeted eager fans to wish them a merry Christmas.
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After church, the royals will gather at the Queen’s Sandringham Estate for a lunch of roast turkey followed by steamed fruit pudding, before they all sit down to watch the Queen’s annual televised address to the nation at 3 p.m. (Along with a few surprisingly silly traditions!)
Despite reports that William and Kate would likely be spending the holiday with Kate’s family in Bucklebury, the royal couple joined the royal family in Norfolk for Christmas with the Queen at Sandringham.
Claims have swirled about tension between brothers William and Harry and their wives, Kate and Meghan. But a source tells PEOPLE that the couples enjoyed a memorable first Christmas together last year, when Meghan made her debut walk to church with the royal family on Christmas Day.
“They really loved Christmas and all had a wonderful time,” a source tells PEOPLE. “I think the two women got on — they are definitely not best friends, but it was a really special time for them all to spend together.”
Since Meghan officially joined the royal family in May, there has been a shake up in its synergy – one that many believe was inevitable.
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“Wives do change the dynamic, and they both have very strong wives,” a palace insider tells PEOPLE. “If you bring two independent-minded women from the real world into the royal world, they are going to want to have an impact.”
Will and Kate are staying at their nearby home of Anmer Hall with their children. Harry and Meghan are reportedly staying at Sandringham House with the Queen.
Harry and Meghan recently announced that they will be moving out of their Kensington Palace cottage, which is just a stone’s throw away from Will and Kate’s home, and into Frogmore Cottage in Windsor early next year, ahead of the birth of their first child next year.
“[The move] will be the best thing for all of them,” a family friend tells PEOPLE. “Like Meghan and Kate, Harry and William have totally different roles. But the brothers will always come together because they are Diana’s sons.”
