London —Prince George and Princess Charlotte attended their first Christmas church service with the queen on Wednesday as Prince Andrew, who has “stepped back” from public duties over controversy caused by his friendship with the late convicted sex offender, Jeffery Epstein, kept a low profile.
Andrew, who withdrew from public life after a disastrous BBC interview about his relationship with Epstein, accompanied his brother, Prince Charles, to an earlier service.
A large crowd gathered outside St. Mary Magdalene Church in Sandringham on Wednesday to greet the queen and other members of the royal family, including the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and their two children, Prince George and Princess Charlotte, who were attending for the first time.
Andrew and Charles, who arrived ahead of the others, used a different entrance.
A “bumpy” year
The queen attended church ahead of the broadcast of her Christmas Day message, which will describe 2019 as “quite bumpy.”
British politics has become increasingly polarized because of divisions caused by Brexit.
The queen is expected to say that the road forward is never “smooth,” but that “small steps” can help heal the divide.
The royal family has also had personal struggles this year, including the controversy surrounding Prince Andrew.
Prince Phillip, the queen’s 98-year-old husband who was released from the hospital on Christmas Eve, did not attend Wednesday’s service. Neither did Prince Harry and wife Meghan, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, who are in Canada with their son, Archie.
