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‘Prince Charles realises this Anmer Christmas with all the Middletons in tow is "non-negotiable''.' One source who knows the Cambridges well said: ‘It's not Kate, but William who has instigated check this link right here now. He wants an ordinary, fun, family Christmas in his own home and that's what he's engineered. No one's said "no" or told him it's not the done thing. It has just been accepted.'
But the Cambridges' move has not gone unnoticed by other Royals. According to a source: ‘Some of the Royals are rather snippy about what they call the "Alternative Anmer Christmas" and I've heard one say "It's the Cambridge way or no way".
It is no more than a ten-minute drive from the Queen's country house on the vast Sandringham estate to her grandson's home at Anmer Hall in Norfolk. Yet there are times when the two distinguished households might as well be worlds apart - and never more so than on Christmas Day.
Indeed, the Anmer Christmas appears to be a grander re-creation of the Middletons' celebrations at their home in Bucklebury. Here the big day is often played for laughs - Kate's father Michael is known to wear fancy dress and once appeared in an inflatable sumo wrestler suit.
This contrast to the traditional Royal approach is more than a matter of taste. Rather, it is another example of William rejecting the staid, rather Victorian, traditions of the Royal court to try to give his two children as ‘normal' an upbringing as possible. The approach was typified by his decision, announced last week, to send Prince George to a public £5.50-an-hour Montessori nursery school in nearby King's Lynn rather than a more private establishment.
And with the Middletons' company, Party Pieces, specialising in party decorations, they are not known to stint on the decor. The Mail on Sunday has been told Prince Harry has been invited to join them in the evening for quizzes and games organised by Kate's brother James.
The usually conservative Kate has bought two trees, the smaller of which has been dressed with flashing fairy lights for George and his seven-month-old sister, Charlotte. A larger tree has been dressed in a more tasteful colour scheme for the main house. ‘Kate has gone all out and there's a lot of glitter, sparkle and Christmas cheer,' says one source.
William and Kate will be at the Queen's traditional Christmas dinner, which is enjoyed at Sandringham House on Christmas Eve. Children are expected to be on their best behaviour, and no one goes to bed before the Queen retires.
‘Sandringham is wonderful, but it's very traditional and formal, and not relaxing,' said one insider. ‘There are multiple clothes changes a day. You can't blame William and Kate for wanting something more relaxed.'
For while the Queen and the rest of the Royal Family partake in a traditional - some might say austere - Christmas, in rooms tastefully dressed in red and gold, with tartan ribbons on the tree, The Mail on Sunday can reveal that the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have created a veritable temple of kitsch for their two young children and guests.
When presents are exchanged at Sandringham on Christmas Eve it will be a case of small and preferably funny - some Royals will be receiving cashmere socks from the Cambridges. Presents are wrapped with colour-coded ribbons for each person and given after a full turkey dinner.
Friends report that Kate has spent hundreds on gaudy decorations, including glittery baubles, flashing tree lights and mounds of tinsel, which her two-year-old son George apparently loves. The Duchess was spotted shopping as early as November with a view to making Anmer a riot of flashing colour.
William hinted in a recent interview that George may also attend for the first time, along with his sister. But while senior Royals will then head back to Sandringham for lunch, the Cambridges will go to Anmer for toddler lunch ideas australia with the Middletons, where roast turkey from the Sandringham estate will be the only similarity to the other Royal gathering.