As it tradition, the British royal family walks to church together in Sandringham every Christmas Day. This has become a bigger and bigger occasion on the royal watch calendar in recent years after Prince William married Kate Middleton and she joined the procession and of course after Prince Harry married Meghan Markle and they became the “Fab Four”. 

Harry and Meghan skipped Sandringham this year though and the Queen has been dealing with the much bigger headache caused by her beloved second son, Prince Andrew who’s become the family shame over his friendship with the dead rapist pedophile Jeffrey Epstein and after his shambolic interview on BBC Newsnight. Her Majesty then, as we’ve seen, has been focusing on stability, continuity, and legacy. And so it’s been up to House Cambridge to step up and rep the family. They released another photo, taken by Kate, on Christmas Day for well-wishers. 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by Kensington Palace (@kensingtonroyal) on

Pretty much captures the mood of the Cambridge Five, non? Big G is sitting on a throne. Charlotte is free to stand and be the boss. Little Louis, the third, and second boy, is being coddled by dad. Past, present, and future all coming together. If Will and Kate have another child, a boy, we can say that history repeats itself, again.  

This year, Big G and Charlotte participated in their first walk to church on Christmas Day in Sandringham. Charlotte adorably mimicked her ma when she curtseyed the Queen’s departure. 

My favourite part is right after that, when Kate leans down and tells Charlotte to shake hands with the reverend which she then does, dutifully, before quickly stepping back into the comfort of her mother’s coat. She and Big G are then led towards the crowd for a walkabout, another first in what’s expected to be a lifetime of them. Both seem pretty prepared for it – and they would have been. A decision like this, to bring young children out in the open in such a profoundly public way, is not taken lightly. It would have been made by committee, at the Queen’s encouragement, with planning and training. This is a special occasion, of course, and in the Cambridges will likely continue to be selective about when their children will be presented. But the Queen is for sure relying on them more and more to uphold the royal brand. Will they add one more to the house? What’s ahead for House Cambridge in 2020? Cambridge Five because Cambridge Six?