Prince William In-Laws to Host Christmas Dinner for Kate Middleton and Will
Prince William's in-laws will be hosting the Christmas dinner this year, as the Prince and Duchess Kate Middleton have confirmed that they will be spending Christmas Day with her family in the southern English village of Bucklebury, as opposed to being with the Royal Family.
A statement by Royal officials on Saturday has confirmed that Kate will be spending time over the coming week with her parents, just weeks after being hospitalized for severe morning sickness and dehydration.
The Royal statement did not offer many other details about what the family will be doing together over Christmas, but simply said they would be spending it "privately." However, it is likely that the pair will not be doing anything to strenuous, given Kate's recently announced pregnancy.
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Meanwhile, Pippa Middleton recently wrote an article describing what Christmas is like in Bucklebury. She wrote for Spectator magazine: "The Middletons' Christmas should be blissfully calm. We're good at keeping each other's spirits up."
She also described how Kate and Pippa's father, Michael, enjoyed getting out an array of costumes for the festive period. She said, "He (Michael) buys a new costume each year and typically gets a bit carried away — a couple of Christmases ago, he appeared in an inflatable sumo outfit."
The move to spend Christmas with Kate's family does not mean Prince William is foregoing traditions. Usually the Royal Family spends the Christmas period at Sandringham in eastern England, and a royal spokesperson has said that the couple will visit the royal estate at some point over the Christmas period.
The official also confirmed that Prince William's absence from the royal party had been approved by his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, and husband Prince Phillip, who gave their blessings to the couple to spend the time with the Middletons, according to the Associated Press.
