Prince William Wants to Skip the Royal Family’s Christmas Lunch if This Relative’s There and It’s Not Prince Harry
The British royal family’s Christmas lunch isn’t a must for Prince William. The Prince of Wales reportedly wants to skip the festivities to avoid a relative he doesn’t like. Not his brother, Prince Harry, whom he’s been estranged from for years, but their stepbrother, Queen Camilla’s son Tom Parker Bowles.
William gets ‘nervous’ around Tom and would rather not see him on Christmas
According to a Daily Beast report, William isn’t excited about possibly going to the royal family’s Christmas lunch at the Sandringham estate in Norfolk, England. The reason? The chance that his stepbrother, Tom Parker Bowles, could be there. Plus, William’s not a big fan of his stepmother Queen Camilla.
William and Kate Middleton “are unlikely to attend this year, especially if Queen Camilla again invites her son Tom Parker Bowles,” the report said. Why? “William doesn’t much like Camilla, despite having made peace with his father’s choices, and is made nervous by Tom’s somewhat louche lifestyle,” an insider said.
Parker Bowles, 49, is a food writer and author. His most recent work is the cookbook, Cooking and the Crown.
“The Waleses have often not attended Christmas Day lunch at the ‘big house’ at Sandringham,” according to the report. Instead, the Prince and Princess Wales, 42, prefer “the informality of a relaxed lunch at Anmer Hall,” their sprawling home on the royal family’s estate.
Distance from the ‘crazy’ royal Christmas would be good for William and Kate’s brand
Skipping the royal family’s annual Christmas lunch wouldn’t necessarily be a bad thing for William and Kate. As former employees told the outlet, it’s not a good look for their “normal and boring” brand.
“William and Kate have made an incredibly successful brand out of being normal and boring, they said. “But the crazy royal customs at Christmas threaten all that. It’s particularly damaging to their reputation.” Why? “Because Christmas is the one time that everybody in the whole country actually pays attention to the royals.”
The royal family’s walk to church on Christmas morning is televised. Meanwhile, royals often arrive at Sandringham to awaiting cameras.
“It risks getting overshadowed by stories about these strange, elitist, aristocratic habits,” they added. “It’s not surprising” that William and Kate “want to change the narrative as they prepare to take the throne themselves.”
Queen Camilla’s son Tom hasn’t spent Christmas with the royal family yet
Brushing shoulders with his stepbrother on Christmas doesn’t seem to have been a problem for William before. As Tom told People, he’s never spent Christmas at Sandringham, taking part in the royal family’s festivities.
“We are married in. We are not the royal family. I’ve never for one second said that,” the 49-year-old old told the publication. “That’s not to say myself and the children spend [time] running around palaces. I have my own job and the children have school. I haven’t been to Christmas yet for various reasons.”
So, William may not have anything to worry about come Christmas Day. On the other hand, if he does cross paths with Tom, he can chalk it up to a “normal” moment in line with the Wales brand.
