Prince William and Kate Middleton have said it ‘doesn’t feel right’ to wish the nation a merry Christmas this year and are instead ‘wishing for a better 2021’ – before sending their thoughts to those who are ‘spending today alone.’
Taking to the official Kensington Palace Twitter, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, both 38, penned: ‘Wishing a merry Christmas doesn’t feel right this year, so instead we’re wishing for a better 2021. For those struggling today, there is support available: @GiveUsAShout @MindCharity @samaritans @theCALMzone @TheSilverLineUK @OurFrontlineUK @NHSCharities.’
‘This Christmas our thoughts are with those of you who are spending today alone, those of you who are mourning the loss of a loved one, and those of you on the frontline who are still mustering the energy to put your own lives on hold to look after the rest of us.’
Meanwhile, Prince Charles and Camilla took to Clarence House social media and wrote: ‘Wishing you all a happy Christmas and here’s to a better New Year! Christmas tree,’ alongside a star emoji.
Prince William and Kate Middleton have said it ‘doesn’t feel right’ to wish the nation a merry Christmas this year and are instead ‘wishing for a better 2021’ (pictured)
The Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall released a photograph alongside the post, which shows them with walking sticks in hand at their Scottish retreat of Birkhall during the autumn.
The couple are casually dressed in country clothes in the new photograph taken by a member of staff.
The heir to the throne and his wife are keen walkers and the countryside around their Aberdeenshire home offers them lots of opportunities to get out and about.
The post comes almost a week after the Prime Minister first announced that December 25 could not go on as planned, which saw the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s Christmas bubble plans disrupted like other families in the country.
The original plan had been for the Duke and Duchess, with children George, Charlotte and Louis, to travel to the Middletons’ Grade II listed home in Bucklebury, Berkshire, for the festivities, Emily Andrews wrote for the Mail on Sunday.
Kate’s sister Pippa, her husband James and their son Arthur were also due to join the family in Bucklebury for Christmas. Then Berkshire and London were plunged into tier 3, so Kate offered to host at Anmer Hall.
Prince William, Kate Middleton and their children, Prince George, left, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, center, at Anmer Hall, Anmer. Pictured, the Cambridge’s 2020 Christmas card
Prince Charles and Camilla took to Clarence House social media and wrote: ‘Wishing you all a happy Christmas and here’s to a better New Year! Christmas tree’
But after the announcement that Berkshire was moving into tier 4 with a ban on travel and household mixing, the Middletons called off their plans.
It will be a bitter blow to Mike, 71, and Carole, 65, who had been planning their first Christmas Day with all four of their grandchildren: George, seven, Charlotte, five, and two-year-olds Louis and Arthur.
As queen of the kitchen, Carole let it be known in an interview two years ago that she normally wears a ‘big pinny’ and her Christmas essentials are ‘mince pies, mulled wine and mistletoe’.
She was also planning a champagne and smoked-salmon affair with a family meal for the big day based on a Mary Berry recipe, including a vegan option.
Today, the Cambridges will celebrate alone as a family of five.
Meanwhile, the Queen has decided to spend this festive season ‘very quietly’ with the Duke of Edinburgh at Windsor Castle.
Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall will be at Highgrove House in Gloucestershire forming a bubble with Camilla’s two children and five grandchildren.
The Queen, 94, and Prince Philip, 99, will remain protected at Windsor by ‘HMS Bubble’ – a small number of staff who have isolated from their own families. Special provision has been made to allow the Queen to attend church. There will be a tiny service, with masks, in her private chapel at the castle.
It will then be turkey for two for lunch with perhaps a video call to Prince Harry and Meghan in California. The Sussexes will be with son Archie, 19 months, and Meghan’s mother, Doria Ragland.
Sophie, Countess of Wessex, had been due to spend Christmas Day with her father Christopher Rhys Jones, 89, for the first time in 21 years, but as her Surrey home Bagshot Park is now in tier 4, that looks unlikely.
Sarah, Duchess of York, had planned to spend Christmas with daughters Beatrice and Eugenie for the first time since her divorce in 1996.