Inside Prince William and Princess Kate’s Memorable Family Traditions Throughout the Holiday Season

It’s hard to imagine a more magical setting. In early November, Princess Kate, Prince William and their kids moved into Forest Lodge — a stately brick mansion nestled among the trees and rolling hills of the Windsor Castle grounds — just in time to start decorating for the holidays.

This fresh start during the festive season presents the perfect opportunity to establish new family traditions (and toss a few old ones).

It’s all part of William and Kate’s plan to keep their kids — Prince George, 12, Princess Charlotte, 10, and Prince Louis, 7 — as grounded as possible and celebrate Kate’s first anniversary of being cancer-free.

The princess has already spearheaded one new custom: her annual Together at Christmas carol service, which was launched in 2021. This year’s event, held as always at London’s iconic Westminster Abbey, was scheduled to take place on Dec. 5.

“It’s enormously popular,” royal expert Hugo Vickers says. “It’s become one of the nicest features of the Christmas season.”

Kate oversees every detail of the special occasion, from the guest list to the program illustrations. She personally meets with a horticulturist to plan the wreaths, trees and other floral arrangements for the ancient church. Experts say the decor reflects her own elegant style.

For their own home, the family likely sources a tree from the estate grounds. The princess tends to lean toward a red-and-gold theme with white lights. Mum Carole Middleton has said the kids usually get a tree in their rooms as well, to decorate however they like.

As they get into the yuletide spirit, the family can visit a dazzling holiday installation in their own backyard: Windsor Great Park Illuminated is a special installation of festive light displays among the trees. Kate and William, both 43, took the kids to a similar show at Sandringham Estate in 2020.

Shortly after Lambrook School’s winter break starts in mid-December, the merriment really begins. The family will travel to their country estate, Anmer Hall, on the grounds of the Sandringham Estate — where the royal family gathers every Christmas — in Norfolk, England.

But even there, the future king and queen won’t follow all the rules.

While Charles hosts an adults-only formal dinner on Dec. 24, the Waleses have reportedly been known to throw a “rival” party at Anmer Hall for the Middletons. (Grandma Carole likes to give her grandchildren Christmas Eve boxes filled with pajamas, snacks, an ornament and a book.)

Kate’s children don’t get to open all of their presents early — the princess is reportedly keen to completely do away with the royal family’s custom of opening piles of gag gifts in a night-before “free-for-all,” as Prince Harry, William’s brother, once called it.

She’ll have her husband’s full support, royal commentator Jennie Bond says: “I don’t think William is going to bat an eyelid about breaking certain royal traditions.”

Instead, there will be lots of relaxing at home, cookies to be baked and movies like Elf to watch. “I keep watching it every Christmas. It still makes me laugh,” William says, adding that the family’s music playlist includes everyone’s fave, Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You.”

“They’ll be putting the stockings by the fireplace, the mince pies, the milk for the reindeer,” says former royal butler Grant Harrold, suggesting that Kate might even hang a cheeky “Santa Please Stop Here” sign.

The kids always write letters to Father Christmas and usually drop them in a special mailbox outside of Westminster Abbey. (Although William hand-delivered George’s wish list to the big man himself during a visit to Finland in 2017!)

Who might be on the naughty list? Last year, Louis made headlines for reportedly smashing a Terry’s Chocolate Orange with a “loud bang” at the Christmas Day church service, during which he was also heard shouting at the vicar that he’d gotten marshmallows as a treat.

“He’s a character, but he’s a very good boy,” William insists. “He likes to wind his brother and sister up.”

George may actually be the one to watch out for, William hints. The heir to the throne “knows how to behave” in public, but “when he’s behind closed doors, it’s a completely different ballgame.”

William is also known for getting downright silly during private family time, and might even don the Santa hat he was gifted by schoolchildren last year.

Prince Harry wore the full red suit for a charity video back in 2019, so competitive Willy might want to prove he can pull it off, too!

But they still have to attend to a few royal duties: The Waleses will walk to church at St. Mary Magdalene on Christmas Day, then join at least 45 members of their extended family for lunch with all the trimmings at Sandringham House.

William, who always looks forward to the turkey and roast potatoes, told a group of kids last year that it tends to get quite “noisy.”

When they’re not stuffing their faces, the royals play board games, soccer, cards, and … beer pong! William’s cousin-in-law Mike Tindall once snitched that Kate’s competitive nature really comes out during the drinking game.

“I think things have loosened up a bit since the late queen’s reign, and while a lot of the family traditions will remain, things are a touch more relaxed and informal than before with the king and queen consort as hosts,” Bond says.

One family member who won’t join in the fun? Harry, who will celebrate with his wife, Meghan Markle, and their kids, Archie, 6, and Lilibet, 4, at their home in Montecito, Calif.

While William remains wary of a reconciliation with his brother following the younger prince’s multiple tell-alls, the relationship may be thawing since Harry met with Charles in September.

In November, the Duke of Sussex wrote an essay for Remembrance Day titled “The Bond, the Banter, the Bravery: What It Means to Be British,” and many interpreted the touching message as an olive branch to William, his lifelong verbal sparring partner.

What better time than the holidays to make peace?

Kate, who has been pushing William to bury the hatchet with his brother, chose a telling theme for her Together at Christmas service this year.

The plan is “to celebrate love in all its forms,” Kate shares. “Whether it’s love within families, through friendships, across communities or even through powerful moments of connection with strangers, the evening will highlight the transformative power of investing in one another with compassion, presence and joy.”

“In a world that can often feel fragmented and disconnected,” she adds, “love is the force that reconnects us all.”