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Prince William and Kate Middleton have been married for more than a dozen years, and they’re generally pretty good about following royal tradition. The Prince and Princess of Wales have defied a couple of royal protocol measures during their time as husband and wife, but one thing they haven’t done is veer away from their traditional royal Christmas.

Interestingly enough, that also means that William and Kate don’t actually spend Christmas morning together due to one bizarre royal tradition that has been in place for years.

Prince William and Kate Middleton
Prince William and Kate Middleton | Stuart C. Wilson/Getty Images

Prince William and Kate Middleton don’t spend Christmas morning together

While the royals’ precise Christmas Day schedule isn’t known, one longtime tradition sees the men and women eating their Christmas breakfasts separately. Meaning, William spends the morning enjoying a hot meal alongside his two sons and his father, King Charles, while Kate and Princess Charlotte dine alongside relatives like Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie.

It’s unclear how the royal tradition started, but the men and women also eat different breakfasts. The women tend to dine on something lighter, like fruit and toast, while the men enjoy sausage, breakfast meats, and even grilled kidneys (that last one isn’t exactly a delicacy in the United States).

It’s possible that William and Kate do spend the early hours of Christmas morning together; they share three young children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis, who likely believe that Santa has brought them plenty of gifts. The kids’ parents might want to be there to enjoy the moment together. But after that, they all allegedly head to separate areas to eat breakfast.

Prince William and Kate Middleton
Prince William and Kate Middleton | Max Mumby/Indigo/Pool/Getty Images
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Prince William and Kate Middleton have mostly stayed with royal tradition

For the most part, William and Kate have adopted plenty of royal traditions that have been in the family for decades. Certainly, the couple abides by the “never complain, never explain” attitude that the royals have always lived by, as well as taking their royal duties seriously. However, they have also strayed from a number of traditions. When saying her wedding vows, Kate did not say she would “obey” her husband — something both Princess Diana and Meghan Markle omitted as well.

William and Kate have taken on a much more forward role in terms of parenting, too, which wasn’t always the typical way roles parented. Kate has even declined invitations to royal events, such as attending the Earth Shot Prize ceremony in Singapore earlier this year, in favor of staying home with her kids. William and Kate also left Kensington Palace in favor of a quieter life near Windsor, where the kids started at a new school and have the chance to truly live a separate life from the royal family fanfare.

Right now, it appears Sandringham Christmas will not include Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, though there is still a chance the two join the royals. Harry and Meghan have not participated in a royal Christmas celebration since their first year married back in 2018. Since then, the two have spent the holiday in North America.