Prince William Reveals His Surprisingly Low-Key Royal Christmas Plans

Prince William talking to people wearing Christmas sweaters at a table — (Image credit: Getty Images)

A royal Christmas brings to mind lavish gifts, a black tie dinner and the most spectacular decorations you can imagine, even if that isn't exactly the case for the Brits (see: Prince Harry's "ain't life a bitch" shower cap). But for Prince William, his holiday wish is a bit more simple, as he told guests at a military Christmas party on Tuesday, Dec. 10.

According to the Sun, the Prince of Wales shared that his hopes for the season were very low-key and involved "long walks with the family dog as they spend the festive period in Norfolk."

The prince and princess welcomed a black cocker spaniel named Orla to their family in 2020, shortly before their beloved first dog, Lupo, passed away. Orla was given to the Wales family by Princess Kate's dog-loving brother, James Middleton, who breeds cocker spaniels.

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Along with taking walks on the Royal Family's Sandringham estate where they spend Christmas, Prince William revealed that he still had plenty of shopping and prepping to do for the holiday season. "Am I ready for Christmas? No, no way am I ready," he told a guest at the 1st Battalion Mercian Regiment Christmas event.

Prince William holding a santa hat sitting at a table with a little girl and mom with a tree behind them — Prince William chatted with military families at the party.

According to the Sun, the Prince of Wales "told another table he was looking forward to Christmas with 45 members of his family 'all in one room'" as they're "normally spread out."

Whether that means Prince Andrew remains to be seen, as royal expert Jennie Bond recently mused to OK! that it might be "easier" for the disgraced Duke of York to hold his own Christmas celebration with Princess Eugenie, Princess Beatrice and their families.

Prince William's visit to the 1st Battalion Mercian Regiment follows two other festive events this past week. On Dec. 6, the Prince of Wales brought Prince George, Prince Louis and Princess Charlotte to Princess Kate's annual Together at Christmas concert, and he also spread cheer by serving a holiday lunch at homelessness charity The Passage.

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Kristin Contino is Marie Claire's Senior Royal and Celebrity editor. She's been covering royalty since 2018—including major moments such as the Platinum Jubilee, Queen Elizabeth II’s death and King Charles III's coronation—and places a particular focus on the British Royal Family's style and what it means.

Prior to working at Marie Claire, she wrote about celebrity and royal fashion at Page Six Style and covered royalty from around the world as chief reporter at Royal Central. Kristin has provided expert commentary for outlets including the BBC, Sky News, US Weekly, the Today Show and many others.

Kristin is also the published author of two novels, “The Legacy of Us” and “A House Full of Windsor.” She's passionate about travel, history, horses, and learning everything she can about her favorite city in the world, London.