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The royal family gathers for Christmas celebrations. But amid the celebrations there will be ongoing concerns about King Charles’ health as his cancer treatment continues – and a notable absence sparked by a high-profile controversy surrounding a suspected Chinese spy.
It was announced on Friday that Charles, who was diagnosed with an unknown form of cancer earlier this year, will continue his treatment in 2025.
“His treatment has progressed in a positive direction and as a treated condition the treatment cycle will continue into next year,” a Buckingham Palace source said, according to Reuters.
The palace source said there had been no change in Charles’ health and the news that his treatment would continue into 2025 did not represent a significant update.
But his pre-Christmas schedule was a sign that he was determined to stay busy. His events concluded on Friday with a visit to the London borough of Walthamstow, where a large counter-demonstration took place in August in response to nationwide unrest.
During the visit, Charles was asked how he was doing. He jokingly replied, “I’m still alive.” Sky News reported.
Justin Vovk, a royal commentator and history professor at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, says royal officials are “still very tight-lipped” about Charles’ cancer, but “the fact that he’s still doing public engagements means that “His health is at least deteriorating.” somewhat under control.
For Charles, continued focus on public service appears to be a high priority.
“For the Royals, this is part of their core values,” Vovk said in an interview Friday.
“The job is to go out and meet people, interact with people.”
It’s been a difficult year for the Royals – Prince William called it “brutal” – as both his father Charles and his wife Catherine, Princess of Wales, were diagnosed with cancer.
Catherine, Princess of Wales, says in a video released by Kensington Palace on Monday that the last nine months have been “incredibly hard” for her family but that she is now in a “new phase of recovery” after undergoing chemotherapy completed, which should enable her to take part in some public appearances in the coming months.
Catherine said her preventative chemotherapy for an unknown type of cancer was completed in late summer.
Since then, she has gradually returned to public duties, making limited appearances at high-profile events.
Catherine’s announcement that she was ending her treatment was made in a video, and a photo from that video appeared on her family’s Christmas card this year.
She also hosted her fourth annual carol service at Westminster Abbey in London on December 6th. The service will be televised in the United Kingdom on Christmas Eve.
William, Catherine and their children – Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis – are expected along with other members of the royal family to celebrate Christmas at Charles’ Sandringham Estate, northeast of London. They were not present at a pre-Christmas lunch at Buckingham Palace this week, and according to media reports were already at their rural home near Sandringham.
The family members’ walk to and from church on Christmas morning is closely monitored to determine who is there and who is not, who is walking next to whom, and what this might reveal about relationships within the family.
One notable absence is expected this year – that of Charles’ younger brother, Prince Andrew.
British media reported on it this week Andrew won’t be at Sandringhamand him did not attend the pre-Christmas lunch at Buckingham Palace in the middle Allegations of a close friendship with an alleged Chinese spy.
It is the latest example of controversy sparked by its associations. His reputation sank like a stone AAnd he withdrew from public royal duties after a disastrous BBC interview in 2019 about his friendship with the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
However, as he continued to attend high-profile royal family occasions, his absence from Christmas events this year is notable.
However, this absence is not surprising, said Vovk, who sees it as a family decision.
“Many people, including myself, predicted that we would see Andrew less and less since the death of Queen Elizabeth,” Vovk said.
“It’s been a little slower than I certainly expected, but given all the controversy, given all the drama surrounding Prince Andrew and the very clear desire of the King and the Prince of Wales to distance themselves from… this scandal, as it is Monarchy has always done…I’m not the least bit surprised they wouldn’t include him there.”
Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, and their children, who live in California, are also expected to be absent from the royal Christmas.
Harry and Meghan released a Christmas card this week This included a picture of Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet running towards their parents. It was a rare public sighting of an image of the children, who have been kept out of the public eye.
“When we look at Harry’s upbringing and the undeniable trauma he endured… it’s a natural choice for me,” Vovk said, noting that the two wanted to protect their children from too much media scrutiny.
Vovk also saw the card as an attempt to “consciously create an image of them being a happy family, a united couple and one that is more accessible to the public.”
He also saw a contrast with the image on the card of William and Catherine.
“This is, in my opinion, one of the most informal and relaxed family portraits of a generation of the (Royal Family) that we have ever seen, if not the most informal and relaxed.”
The royal family’s Christmas meeting at Sandringham with Prince William is expected to be a grand affair It is noted that 45 people are expected to take part.
Christmas is an important time for the royal family, says Toronto-based author and historian Carolyn Harris.
“Their Christmas traditions date back to the reign of Queen Victoria, including the Christmas trees popularized by Prince Albert and the focus on multiple generations of the royal family enjoying a family celebration together,” Harris said by email last week.
“The Royal Family opens their presents on Christmas Eve, following traditions from Germany, the birthplace of Prince Albert, and Denmark, the birthplace of Queen Alexandra, wife of King Edward VII.”
Royal weddings have brought new traditions to the family Christmas, including Catherine presenting Queen Elizabeth with homemade chutney made from a Middleton family recipe on her first Christmas with the family, Harris said.
“While Christmas is an important family occasion, it is also one of the rare moments when the monarch speaks directly to the public with the televised Christmas message.”
Queen Elizabeth wanted large family gatherings at Christmas, and there was speculation that there would be smaller gatherings at Christmas under Charles, who otherwise preferred a slimmed-down royal family.
But that’s not the case. And new guests are expected this year, including Queen Camilla’s son from her first marriage, Tom Parker Bowles.
The presence of Parker Bowles comes as no surprise to Vovk, who notes that the makeup of the royal family is no different than many other families.
“I think many of us sometimes forget that the Royal Family is a blended family, that the Queen is mother and grandmother, and that although the Christmas gathering at Sandringham is a royal event, it is still technically the family Christmas tradition. he said.
“Why shouldn’t Camilla’s children and grandchildren spend the holidays with their mother and grandmother?”
It’s no surprise, Vovk said, that there are changes year after year within the royal family’s Christmas traditions.
“Over time, these small ritual or ceremonial changes then lead to larger changes that occur very gradually without rocking the boat too much.”
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