“Slaughtering hundreds of birds for sport aside, the larger point is that the next generation of royals are on a mission to rebrand the royal Christmas, transforming it from a grand, dutiful and primarily religious occasion to one more aligned with their future subjects’ festive experiences. One source said this means there will be much more messaging this year from William and Kate’s camp of a “middle class flavor,” emphasizing eating chocolate, movie marathons, and generally sliding off the couch in a tryptophan haze like everyone else.”
Posted by ButIDigress79
19 comments
Interesting. Everyone really came for Meghan when she made her views on hunting clear. I wonder if William will be wearing his beard when he speaks out on this.
Two competing royal courts striving for pride of place on an important day? Where have I heard this before?
I can’t imagine that Charles (or William or even George) who is the head of the Anglican church, will try to turn down the religiosity of Christmas.
Sure, have watch Home Alone and eat chocolate, but you have to go to church, at least for the photo op.
This is truly one of the dumbest Sykes articles yet, which seems to stem from the idea that Kate’s family coming to Anmer for Christmas (something they regularly do) and celebrating with them on Christmas Day is a threat to the entire monarchy.
Especially stupid because in the Christmas documentary they did a few years ago, Kate is perfectly fine telling Mary Berry about William’s family’s tradition of opening presents on Christmas Eve.
What a vicious tone that whole article has.
>out-of-touch habit
>scrap the custom of gift-giving on Christmas Eve, which they are acutely aware paints them as “weird” to the general public, when they ascend to the throne.
>another royal tradition that many commoners find inexplicable: giving each other cheap joke gifts instead of generous Christmas presents.
>doing proper presents for each other and the kids there on Christmas Day
>William doesn’t much like Camilla,
>these strange, elitist, aristocratic habits.
WTF??!?!? Do his editors even look at this stuff?? I’m offended and I’ve no love lost for these enormously wealthy people.
It’s not in any way “weird” to exchange presents on Christmas Eve. We did it growing up. Many, many of my friends did too. We are NOT Germanic in any way. (We actually did both. Christmas Eve was for extended family. Christmas morning was for immediate family.)
It’s not in any way “weird” to give gag gifts either. For both poor and rich families it’s totally common and normal. For an enormously rich family, it can show care and wit that needs to be used to come up with an excellent gift that has nothing to do with your enormous pocket book. Similar for a poor person, it shows the same thought and care without breaking a small pocket book. Again, this was a part of my life at both Christmas and birthdays and it’s offensive for it to be called strange.
And then he’s just being unnecessarily mean skewering Camilla, etc. He usually saves this treatment for Meghan and Harry but I don’t like it any better aimed at royals residing in England any better.
Ohhh, Daily Beast. So much hyperbole, so much manufactured drama.
Me, I’m holding out for an actual coup, not “We’re skipping Pop Pop’s house this year, kids”
Influencers at work!! Just kidding but I’m sure they have already been doing these things with their kids.
This whole article is so weird and kind of mean to Kate and her family by subtly implying they’re pushing to get rid of family traditions with their middle class ways. They make it sound as if everyone is plotting against Charles since he isn’t in good health and Will and Kate are just waiting to take over. Then there’s the comment about William not liking Camilla or her son which is the only semi-believable thing in this entire article.
A friend of William and Kate’s told The Daily Beast: “Kate has always found the presents on Christmas Eve thing weird. It is definitely going to be got rid of when they are officially running things. I imagine it will continue this year at Sandringham in some shape or form but everything is going to be much more relaxed and have a middle-class flavor at Anmer Hall. You can bet your bottom dollar they will be doing proper presents for each other and the kids there on Christmas Day.”
So, the sources for this story are “Andrew’s friend”, “former courtier”, and some w&k’s friend, who considers sharing christmas pics of the family a coup (yeah, that’s not w&k’s friend that’s just some aristo gossiper at the best)
Good job/s Sykes 🙄
Edit to add – this part that family is waiting to see what is happening with Charles’s health… Also, not believable… Charles looks better now than for his last Christmas… Just look at his Christmas message video for last year.
Ugh, Tom Sykes again.
it’s well known that W&K spend time with the Middletons during Christmas, it isn’t surprising that with the Queen gone, Charles not being the biggest enthusiast on family time and Camilla’s family making themselves at home at Sandringham and Balmoral that W&K would prefer to do more of their own thing with their own family without having Camilla’s family forced on them, other family members probably feel the same.
None of this means a “coup”, there was much space this year for William to attempt a coup if he wanted, he didn’t.
Are there any witches about? Could we perhaps have some sort of silencing spell for Tom Sykes?
And here I was, hoping for a real coup so we can get some drama
Silly article. This isn’t a coup. Families can and should hold both old and new traditions. William and Kate’s true friends & staff don’t talk to media.
> William and Kate have made an incredibly successful brand out of being normal and boring, but the crazy royal customs at Christmas threaten all that. It’s particularly damaging to their reputation because Christmas is the one time that everybody in the whole country actually pays attention to the royals, and it risks getting overshadowed by stories about these strange, elitist, aristocratic habits. It’s not surprising they want to change the narrative as they prepare to take the throne themselves.
This made me lol. I don’t think Christmas is going to damage their “reputation”. I also don’t think it’s the “one time” everybody pays attention to the royals.
lol.
Good for them!
I remember how much more fun holidays were at my Grandparents’ when we took the formality down a notch!
This is great – and realistic. New generation, new traditions!
This is so so weird. Why is it supposed to be shocking that they want to see Catherine’s family at Christmas or create their own traditions? My husband and I alternate years between my family and his, that’s just the sort of thing that happens when you’re adults in a relationship like that, particularly when there are children involved.
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