Prince William and Kate Middleton take children to Christmas morning church service

Duke and Duchess of Cambridge took Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis to St Mary Magdalene Church on the royal family’s Sandringham Estate

While Christmas may have looked different for the British royal family this year, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge continued one tradition, taking their three children to church on Christmas morning.

William and Kate took Prince George, 8, Princess Charlotte, 6, and Prince Louis, 3, to St Mary Magdalene Church on the royal family’s Sandringham Estate on Saturday, a service usually attended by Queen Elizabeth II and many senior members of the royal family.

However, Queen Elizabeth II, who marked her first Christmas since the death of her husband, Prince Philip, in April, remained at her Windsor Castle estate for the festive season, as Covid-19 case numbers soar across the UK.

Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall were also absent from the church service, instead celebrating with the queen at Windsor.

However, the Cambridges stuck to royal tradition, and were seen driving to the service in their family Range Rover.

Earlier in the day, they shared a message on social media acknowledging that Christmas this year would be different for many people.

“This Christmas will be different to what so many of us had planned. From those who are alone or having to isolate away from loved ones, to the incredible people supporting our NHS and caring for those most in need – we are thinking of you. W & C."

It came a day after the duchess showed her musical talent publicly for the first time, performing as part of a Christmas carol service at London’s Westminster Abbey.

She accompanied Scottish singer Tom Walker on the piano to perform touching song, For Those Who Can’t Be Here, as part of a televised special shown in the UK on Christmas Eve.

The carol service was arranged by the duchess, and also featured a performance from Ellie Goulding, as well as a reading from Harry Potter actor Tom Felton. However, the duchess’s performance was a surprise for viewers on the night.

Kate has been playing the piano since she was a child, and is reported to have taken comfort in playing regularly since the start of the pandemic. She is said to have reached out to Walker personally to propose the duet, after being touched by the lyrics of his song, which pays tribute to those no longer with us.

The performance touched viewers around the globe, who shared their thoughts on social media.

“I thought of my wonderful mother who’s no longer here with us this Christmas. Amazing performance by the Duchess of Cambridge and Tom Walker. Thank you,” wrote one Twitter user.

“As if we couldn’t love Kate Middleton any more! She played the piano beautifully,” another wrote.

Walker himself thanked the duchess following the performance. “What a night,” he wrote in a tweet. “I can’t thank Kensington Royal enough for being a part of this performance. This is dedicated to those who can't be here this Christmas including my grandad. He definitely would have been bragging about this to his mates down the pub.”

He also revealed that the Kate personally thanked everyone who took part in the performance, also attended by her husband Prince William.