Christmas at Sandringham is set to take a different turn this year as the royal family deals with King Charles’s continuing battle with cancer. The Prince and Princess of Wales appear ready to concentrate on their own festive arrangements at Amner Hall in Norfolk. Sources suggest the reason might involve a certain family member who reportedly makes William feel nervous.

In keeping with a tradition they started shortly after the wedding, the Wales’s will join Christmas Day with the royal family and then have a second Christmas at Amner Hall with the Middleton family. In previous years, Camilla has left Sandringham after Christmas dinner to host her own family dinner at Rymill, her home in Wiltshire.

In a break with tradition, her children, Tom Parker Bowles and Laura Lopes, along with their families, have been invited to join the Royals this Christmas. Reports hint that the invitation could influence how much time William chooses to spend there.

In a heartbreaking revelation, the prince may be skipping the traditional Christmas celebrations at Sandringham if one particular guest attends: the son of Queen Camilla. Although William has come to accept his father’s marriage to Camilla, it’s believed he isn’t too fond of her or approves of her son’s lifestyle.

William and Catherine are said to be opting for a more middle-class Christmas, focusing their time on their children and Catherine’s parents. A communications executive who previously worked with the couple told that they have made an incredibly successful brand out of being normal and boring. But the crazy royal customs at Christmas threaten all of that. It’s particularly damaging to their reputation because Christmas is the one time that everyone in the whole country actually pays attention to the Royals, and it risks getting overshadowed by stories of this strange elitist aristocratic habit.

It’s not surprising they want to change the narrative as they prepare to take the throne themselves. Some things never change, however, and sources say the bloodthirsty royal tradition of a pheasant and partridge shooting party will go ahead as usual, although Charles is expected to make at best a fleeting appearance. The honor of leading the shoot will fall to William instead. The traditional full family Christmas walk to church is planned to proceed as normal.

Slaughtering hundreds of birds for sport aside, the larger point is that the next generation of Royals are on a mission to rebrand the Royal Christmas, transforming it from a grand, dutiful, and primarily religious occasion to one more aligned with the future subjects’ festive experiences. One source said this means there will be much more messaging this year from the Prince and Princess’s camp of a middle-class flavor, emphasizing eating chocolate, movie marathons, and generally sliding off the couch in a typical Hayes-like manner, like everyone else.

Another out-of-touch habit that is said to be high on Catherine’s list of things to change is the royal custom of handing out presents on Christmas Eve, instead of giving gifts on Christmas Day, as is usual in England. The Germanic tradition was established by Queen Victoria and Prince Albert in deference to his tonic roots. Queen Elizabeth, a great admirer of Victoria, approved of the unusual gift-giving schedule. Sources have previously told that she disliked extravagance and overt expressions of consumerism. She preferred Christmas Day to have a sacred note of practicality. She would often attend church twice, walk the dogs, and withdraw from all company for an hour to watch her speech to the nation alone and meditate upon it afterwards.

According to reports, because of the additional numbers, Christmas dinner will be served in the White Drawing Room rather than the dining room, where the late Queen used to host the festive meal. While King Charles is ringing in the changes as a new monarch, he’s keen to maintain the traditions his mother enjoyed. The entire royal family will attend church on Christmas morning and meet members of the public afterward.

Charles, who is overseeing an extensive refurbishment of Sandringham’s gardens, will also stay in Norfolk for New Year’s Eve. Usually, the king welcomes the New Year in Scotland, but sources say he…