King Charles led members of the royal family in attending a Sunday church service at St. Mary Magdalene Church in Sandringham. He was seen shaking hands with the chaplain and smiling at the gathered public. Following the King were Prince Edward and Sophie, the Duchess of Edinburgh, Princess Anne and her husband Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence, Peter Phillips with his fiancée Harriet Sperling, and David Armstrong-Jones with his daughter Lady Margarita Armstrong-Jones. This gathering occurred after the Christmas festivities, which Prince Andrew notably did not attend.
Prince Andrew was seen alone near Windsor Castle the previous day and has been absent from family events due to his association with Jeffrey Epstein. Despite his absence from Christmas celebrations at Sandringham, his daughters Princess Eugenie and Princess Beatrice did attend church services earlier in the week, seemingly as a show of solidarity. Royal sources indicated that while the King invited the princesses to spend Christmas at his estate, they faced a difficult choice due to perceived loyalties. Prince Andrew and his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson remain estranged from the family following the controversy surrounding their friendship with Epstein, and recent document releases have brought renewed attention to Andrew's past associations.