Royal tradition dictates that only married partners of the Royal Family are allowed to attend Christmas Day festivities at Sandringham House. This is why Kate Middleton was not allowed to attend Sandringham until 2011 as the wife of Prince William, despite dating for nearly a decade before this.
However, in 2017, Prince Harry was permitted to bring Meghan Markle along to the Royal Family Christmas at Sandringham House, even though the two did not marry until May 2018.
But this is not the only royal couple who were granted this special leniency, according to several reports.
Royal Family fans may not have known that Princess Beatrice’s husband, Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, was also invited to the family Christmas before his marriage to the Princess.
In addition, this was only because Meghan Markle set the precedent two years beforehand as the then-girlfriend of the Duke of Sussex.
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With Christmas Day right around the corner, members of the Royal Family will soon journey to Sandringham in Norfolk to spend the holidays alongside King Charles and Queen Camilla.
The King’s niece, Princess Beatrice, may also be in attendance alongside her husband and their one-year-old daughter, Sienna.
But back in 2019, before Beatrice and Edoardo had married, it was not typical for unmarried partners to spend Christmas at Sandringham.
Invites to the exclusive festivities were usually reserved for members of The Firm and their spouses, but Edoardo was permitted to attend and was even photographed heading into St Mary Magdalene Church in Sandringham.
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Back in 2017, the royal rule was ignored for the first time when Prince Harry invited his bride-to-be, Meghan, to Christmas dinner.
However, both Kate Middleton and Mike Tindall had to wait until they were married to Prince William and Zara Tindall, respectively before they were granted this privilege.
The immediate Royal Family gather every year for the festive season at Sandringham where they enjoy a turkey dinner followed on Boxing Day by a shoot.
In 2005, Kate drove up to join the Royal Family on Boxing Day, however, she was not permitted to join in the royal walkabout on Christmas Day.
This year will be the first Christmas the family has spent together since losing their matriarch, Queen Elizabeth, back in September.
It is however believed that Sarah Ferguson will be in attendance alongside her ex-husband Prince Andrew and their daughters Princess Beatrice, 34, and Princess Eugenie, 32, with their own husbands and children.
But it is currently unknown whether the Duke and Duchess of Sussex will be attending, despite reports that they have been invited along with Archie, three, and Lilibet, one.
The family currently resides in Montecito, California, just an hour’s drive away from Doria Ragland, Meghan’s mother, who will likely be celebrating the festive season with them.
