Kate Middleton and Prince William Announce Christmas Plans

By Emma Koonse, Christian Post Reporter Monday, December 24, 2012

Kate Middleton and her husband Prince William have announced their Christmas plans on Saturday.

This year, instead of spending the holiday with Queen Elizabeth II, William and his pregnant wife will be with his in-laws, the Middletons, in the southern England village of Bucklebury, royal officials announced on Saturday.

The statement from St. James' Palace did not further elaborate on the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's Christmas plans, but said that the royal couple will celebrate "privately."

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Alternately, Prince William's grandmother the queen and her husband Prince Phillip will spend Christmas at Sandringham, Her Majesty's stately home and retreat in eastern England.

It was noted in the statement by St. James' Palace that Queen Elizabeth and Prince Phillip approved of William and Kate's absence this year, though the royal couple will pay a visit at some point over the holidays.

Meanwhile, Kate's younger sister Pippa Middleton hinted at what Christmastime in Bucklebury may be like in a recent article.

"The Middletons' Christmas should be blissfully calm," wrote the 29-year-old in a piece for Britain's Spectator magazine. "We're good at keep each other's spirits up."

Pippa added that she and Kate's father, Michael, often added humor to Christmas by surprising the family in costumes.

"He 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," she wrote.

Furthermore, Kate's little sister revealed the Duchess' penchant for handmade crafts in her new book "Celebrate."

Middleton's book of tips for entertaining parties year-round included details about she and sister Kate's childhood, according to Daily News and Analysis.

"When I was a child, my December weekends were spent making cards, decorating the tree, hanging the wreath and preparing brandy butter and peppermint creams," the sibling to the Duchess penned in "Celebrate."

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will mark their 2-year anniversary in April 2013. The media constantly spotlights the young and expecting royal couple, and earlier on Monday, it was reported that Prince William has a soft spot in his heart for ailing children.

Second in line to the British throne, William airlifted a sick child out of Northern Ireland last Saturday as part of his duties in the Royal Air Force.