Royal Family Christmas: King Charles continues cancer treatment – and Prince Andrew brings more controversy
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The royal family gathers to celebrate Christmas. 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 involving a Chinese spy.
It emerged on Friday that Charles, who was diagnosed with an undisclosed cancer earlier this year, will continue his treatment in 2025.
“His treatment has been going well and as the condition is managed the cycle of treatment will continue next year,” said a Buckingham Palace source, according to Reuters.
A palace source said nothing has changed in Charles' life and the news that his treatment will continue in 2025 does not represent anything important.
But his pre-Christmas schedule was a sign of his determination to stay busy. His events wrapped up on Friday with a visit to the London borough of Walthamstow, which staged a major protest in August in response to riots across the country.
During the visit, Charles was asked how he was doing. He jokingly replied: “I'm still alive.” Sky News reported.
Justin Vovk, royal commentator and sessional history professor at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ont., says royal officials are “still very mum” about Charles' cancer, but “the fact that he continues to engage with the public means that his life is at least somewhat under control.”
For Charles, continuing to focus on community service seems to be the most important thing.
“For the Royals, this is part of their core values,” Vovk said in an interview Friday.
“It's a job to go out and meet people, connect with people.”
It's been a rough 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 past nine months have been very difficult for her family, but she is now in a 'new stage of recovery' after completing chemotherapy which should allow her to recover. attend some community discussions in the coming months.
Catherine said by the end of the summer her chemotherapy for an undisclosed type of cancer had been completed.
Since then, he has gradually returned to public activities, appearing to be limited to high-profile events.
Catherine's announcement to end treatment came via video, and a photo from that video appeared on her family's Christmas card this year.
He also hosted his fourth annual Christmas Carol service at Westminster Abbey in London on Dec. 6. The service will be televised in the UK on Christmas Eve.
William, Catherine and their children – Prince George, Prince Charlotte and Prince Louis – are expected along with other members of the royal family to celebrate Christmas at Charles's Sandringham Estate in north-east London. They were away from the Christmas Eve lunch at Buckingham Palace this week, and according to media reports were already at their country home near Sandringham.
The family members' morning walk to and from church is closely watched to see who is there – and who is not – and who walks next to whom and what it says about family relationships.
This year, a notable absence is expected – that of Charles' younger brother, Prince Andrew.
British media reported that this week Andrew will not be at Sandringhamand he he did not attend the Christmas Eve lunch at Buckingham Palace in the middle allegations of close friendship with an alleged Chinese spy.
It is the latest example of the controversy sparked by his associations. His reputation sank like a rock aand stepped down from her royal role after a controversial BBC interview in 2019 about her friendship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
But she has continued to attend high-profile royal family events, so her absence from Christmas this year is notable.
That absence is not surprising, says Vovk, who sees it as a family decision.
“A lot of people, including myself, have been predicting that ever since [Queen Elizabeth] dead, we'll be seeing Andrew little by little,” said Vovk.
“It's happened a little more than I expected, but given all the controversy, given all the drama surrounding Prince Andrew and the clear desire from the King and the Prince of Wales to distance themselves … as the monarchy always does … it's no surprise they wouldn't put him in there.”
Also expected to be absent from the royal Christmas are Prince Harry and Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, and their children, who live in California.
Harry and Meghan put out a Christmas card this week including a picture of Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet running towards their parents. It was a rare public appearance of the picture of these children, who were kept out of public view.
“Looking at the way Harry was raised and looking at the undeniable trauma he endured … that to me was a natural decision,” Vovk said, noting that the pair wanted to protect their children from the media's intense scrutiny.
In the card, Vovk also saw an attempt to “deliberately control or make the image around them a happy family, a united couple and easily accessible to the public.”
He also noticed a difference with the picture on William and Catherine's card.
“That's one of the most informal and relaxed family portraits of any generation [Royal Family] I think we've seen it.”
The royal family's Christmas gathering at Sandringham is expected to be a big affair, with Prince William it is noteworthy that 45 people may have been present.
Christmas is an important time for the Royal Family, says Toronto-based author and historian Carolyn Harris.
“Their Christmas traditions date back to Queen Victoria's reign, including the Christmas trees favored by Prince Albert and the focus on multiple generations of the royal family enjoying a family celebration together,” Harris said via email last week.
“The royal family opens presents on Christmas Eve, following traditions from Germany, the birthplace of Prince Albert and Denmark, the birthplace of Queen Alexandra, consort of King Edward VII.”
Royal weddings have brought new family Christmas traditions, including Catherine presenting Queen Elizabeth with homemade chutney from a Middleton family recipe on her first Christmas with the family, Harris said.
“Although Christmas is an important family event, it is also one of the rare occasions when the king speaks directly to the public with a Christmas message from television.”
Queen Elizabeth wanted large family gatherings at Christmas, and there was speculation that during the reign of Charles, who favored a low-functioning royal family, there would be smaller gatherings at Christmas.
But that doesn't prove it is. And this year, new guests are expected, with the visit of Queen Camilla's son from his first marriage, Tom Parker Bowles.
The arrival of Parker Bowles does not come as a surprise to Vovk, who notes that the structure of the royal family is not like many other families.
“I think most of us forget sometimes that the royal family is a close family, that the Queen is a mother and a grandmother and the Christmas gathering at Sandringham, while it is a royal event, is still a family Christmas tradition,” he said.
“So why shouldn't Camilla's children and grandchildren be there with their mother and grandmother for the holidays?”
It should also come as no surprise, says Vovk, that every year, there are changes within the royal family's Christmas traditions.
“Over time these small changes in culture or changes in ceremonies lead to big changes that have gradually changed without rocking the boat too much.”
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