The Christmas walk at Sandringham has always been symbolic for the royal family. The processional to St. Mary Magdalene Church highlights the monarch's role as the head of the Church of England. It also has been a moment for the family to signal unity and spotlight future leaders in the family.
Today King Charles and Queen Camilla led the walk, followed by Princess Anne. William and Kate, the Prince and Princess of Wales, and their children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, also attended.
Those family members were expected. But it was a surprise to see Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie join the march.
The show of unity comes just over a month since their father Andrew, formerly the Prince of York and now simply Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, was stripped of his royal titles due to his associations with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Their mother, Sarah Ferguson, was also found to have closer ties to Epstein than previously known, according to recently released emails. Neither were seen at the festivities.
Following Charles' decision to strip Andrew's of his "style, titles and honors," questions have swirled about what role Beatrice and Eugenie might have in the royal family. Both retained their royal titles, but it was not clear if they would take on any royal duties.
