Princess Beatrice is celebrating Christmas with the royal family after switching her plans amid her pregnancy.
On Dec. 25, Princess Beatrice joined King Charles and other royals for the family’s traditional walk to St. Mary Magdalene Church on the Sandringham estate. A source confirmed to PEOPLE earlier this week that Princess Beatrice would be there after pivoting her plans in light of her pregnancy, and she participated in the walk to church with her husband Edoardo Mappelli Mozzi and his son Christopher Woolf, 8.
Beatrice, 36, canceled a trip to Italy to spend the holiday with her husband’s family, making the change on medical advice. The couple is expecting their second child together, and the palace previously said that Beatrice is due “early in the new year.” Beatrice and Edo are parents to daughter Sienna, 3, and their family will expand with the baby on the way.
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Princess Beatrice wore a belted tan coat over her growing bump, and placed a warm hand on Christopher Woolf’s back as they all walked. When she and Edo, 41, wed in 2020, a source told PEOPLE that Beatrice was “a wonderful and very hands-on stepmom” to Christopher Woolf, who is affectionately nicknamed Wolfie.
PEOPLE understands that Princess Beatrice had initially accepted an invitation to celebrate Christmas with her in-laws, and was the only member of the York family to join the King’s Christmas festivities. Her father Prince Andrew and mother Sarah Ferguson are keeping a low profile and staying away from Sandringham amid Andrew’s connection to an alleged Chinese “spy,” Beatrice’s younger sister Princess Eugenie is marking the holiday with her in-laws.
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Princess Beatrice and Edo, 41, were also recently seen driving to King Charles’ pre-Christmas lunch for the extended royal family, which was held at Buckingham Palace on Dec. 19.
Beatrice and Eugenie, 34, seemed to be in good spirits as they drove to the palace lunch with their husbands, despite fallout around their father’s alleged ties to the suspected Chinese “spy.” Aligning with their decision not to join the royals at Christmas, the Duke and Duchess of York similarly skipped the festive feast amid backlash around the scandal.
Royal biographer Ingrid Seward tells PEOPLE that Andrew would have discussed the decision with his daughters, who are protective and loyal to him.
“Despite [the Duchess’] missteps in the past, she does know how things will play out socially. She would tell him it’s best to stay away. And Beatrice would have backed her up in that,” Seward tells PEOPLE about Andrew opting out of the holiday luncheon.
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Prince Andrew and Ferguson, who is popularly known as Fergie, divorced in 1996 after a decade of marriage but are known to remain close today and continue to live together at Royal Lodge in Windsor.
The Duke and Duchess of York are thought to be quietly spending Christmas at home, outside of the public eye. Meanwhile, Princess Eugenie is spending the holiday with her husband Jack Brooksbank’s side of the family, as originally planned.
Princess Eugenie and Jack share sons August, 3, and Ernest, 1, and this Christmas is the first since the couple wed in 2018 that they didn’t join the royals for the public-facing walk to church on Christmas at Sandringham.
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While the event was canceled in 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID pandemic, King Charles brought the beloved tradition back with a bang in 2022 following his accession upon Queen Elizabeth’s death. The royal family has stepped out in full force every year since, and this year was no different.
After going to church on the Sandringham Estate, the royals convene for a meal (with turkey, glazed ham, roasted potatoes, parsnips and Christmas pudding on the extensive menu!) and watch the King’s Christmas Broadcast as it airs on television.
Step inside the royals’ holiday traditions with PEOPLE’s Special Edition: Christmas at the Palace: A Royal Family Album.
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