Prince William Reveals What He’s Looking Forward to Doing Over Christmas
Prince William is gearing up to get outside this Christmas. The Prince of Wales, 42, revealed what he’s looking forward to doing during the holiday season at a December 2024 appearance. Hint: It’s not ice skating with Kate Middleton and their children, Prince George, 11, Princess Charlotte, 9, and Prince Louis, 6. Or building a snowman. Or making snow angels.
William is looking forward to ‘long walks’ this Christmas
When meeting soldiers of the 1st Battalion Mercian Regiment and their families on Dec. 10, 2024, the Prince of Wales, who is colonel-in-chief of the regiment, opened up about his hopes for Christmas. Asked about his Christmas plans at the Sandringham estate in Norfolk, England, William shared his “hopes for long walks with the family dog,” (via The Sun).
The Prince and Princess of Wales are dog parents to Orla, a black cocker spaniel. They got Orla as a gift from Kate’s brother, James Middleton, in 2020. (Orla sleeps in bed with the future king and queen.)
Elsewhere, the 42-year-old royal revealed he’s not exactly prepared for the holiday. “Am I ready for Christmas?” William said. “No, no way am I ready.”
Speaking to others at the event, William shared he’s looking forward to Christmas when 45 relatives will get together “all in one room” as they’re “normally spread out.” (William’s estranged brother, Prince Harry, and wife, Meghan Markle, weren’t invited to Sandringham reportedly because it’d be too stressful.)
William has a long history of loving walks
If there were a club for British royals who love taking walks, William would almost certainly be in it. The future king has a history of enjoying walks. In 2021, he teamed up with Apple for the “Time to Walk” podcast. In it, he discussed various topics while getting some fresh air and exercise with a walk.
More recently, in James Middleton’s 2024 memoir, Meet Ella: The Dog Who Saved My Life, Kate’s brother revealed William’s fondness for taking Ella on walks while the Middletons got “fiercely competitive” playing cards.
“William would flinch at our ruthless determination to win at all costs,” James wrote, noting “he’d be delighted to be the first out.” When William was “no longer compelled to take part,” he’d quietly “slink” away to visit with Ella. “Better” yet, he’d get out of the house.
“‘James, does Ella need a walk?’ he’d ask before we’d even started dealing the cards,” James said of William. At that, the three Middleton siblings—Kate, James, and Pippa—would “exchange a knowing glance: William, for all the competitive rigour [sic] of his military training, was happy to be a loser at cards.”
Additionally, in Kate’s surprisingly personal video about completing cancer treatment, she, William, and their three kids walked through the woods.
William’s Christmas will also include royal family traditions and a party at Anmer Hall
Long walks are far from the only thing on William’s agenda this Christmas. There will, of course, be many royal family holiday traditions to partake in.
Among them are walking to church on Christmas morning, sitting down for a big meal with relatives, watching the king’s speech (it’s broadcast throughout the U.K.), and opening gag gifts on Christmas Eve.
Then there are changes to the festive season, namely a party at Anmer Hall, William and Kate’s Norfolk home that will reportedly “rival” the more formal one hosted at Sandringham.
