A Cozy Christmas At The Cambridges — Prince William's Gift For Kate Middleton Included A 'Bracelet'

Dec 29, 2021 by apost team

Christmas is a time for family, but as many people have experienced over the last two years, the coronavirus has unfortunately not allowed this to happen. In the royal family, this meant that Queen Elizabeth had to make radical changes to her traditional Christmas itinerary over the last two years. 

This year, especially, was difficult for the queen as she lost her husband of over seven decades, Prince Philip, in April 2021. Her plans to have Christmas at Windsor Castle with her family were also cut short when Princess Anne's husband, Sir Timothy Laurence, tested positive for coronavirus, which meant that the queen's only daughter could not be there for the family celebration. 

The Cambridge family too had their own separate Christmas, and though it is likely they had a heavy heart for not being able to celebrate with the queen, they made the best of their situation. A source close to the family spoke to Us Weekly after Christmas 2021 and revealed that the family had a cozy time together. 

Kate Middleton had a very special holiday this year because not only did she spend it with her husband and children, she also surprised her fans with her musical ability. The Duchess of Cambridge proved that she is an accomplished photographer and super mom, and now, a super talented piano player.

On Christmas Eve this year, Middleton accompanied the singer-songwriter, Tom Walker, on the piano. The duo performed the Scottish musician’s new Christmas single, “For Those Who Can’t Be Here,” as part of the "Royal Carols: Together At Christmas” concert.

A source spoke to US Weekly and revealed that the Cambridge family had a lovely Christmas together. The children, Prince George, 8, Princess Charlotte, 6, and Prince Louis, 3, reportedly all woke up at 5 AM to open presents. "While Kate and William avoid overly spoiling the children, they let the rule slide at Christmas," the source said in an interview. 

The presents had all three kids excited: a camping kit for George, which was complete with a tent, walkie-talkies and a flashlight, and a climbing frame for Louis gave the boys a chance to grow their love for the outdoors in the coming year. Charlotte, on the other hand, takes after her mother and received a children’s video camera that she adores. 

"Kate cooked a traditional Christmas feast for lunch – turkey, stuffing, pigs in blankets, ham, roast potatoes and all the trimmings," the insider said, and added that she also "used her creative skills to decorate the table with candles, evergreen branches and cones as centerpieces."

The whole family was on board for the holiday season and the three kids helped their mother out with the cooking as well. "The children helped Kate bake a chocolate Christmas log and apple pie for dessert, but the highlight was making a gingerbread house, covered in their favorite sweets," the source explained. 

When it came to the duke and duchess, William gave his wife her Christmas gift that she could cherish and add to her jewelry collection. "After a busy year, William wanted to make this Christmas extra special for Kate and surprised her with a beautiful bracelet," the insider noted. 

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Middleton's highlight of the holidays was also her televised piano performance. According to Classic FM, Middleton learned to play piano as a child, taking lessons from Daniel Nicholls from 11 to 13 years old. "She was lovely, she was a normal student and very pleasant,” Nicholls told the BBC in 2011.

However, Nicholls added that he didn’t think Middleton “was ever going to be a concert pianist."

That said, Middleton is clearly musical. In 2017, she even had a go at conducting the Hamburg Philharmonic at the Elbphilharmonie’s concert hall. It was there that the duchess also took the time to introduce the orchestra’s instruments to her audience of 250 schoolchildren.

The TV special this year was meant to thank frontline workers for their service during the COVID-19 pandemic. While the special aired on Christmas Eve, Middleton and Wom Walker’s performance was recorded on Dec. 8 at  Westminster Abbey.

"We got together, we rehearsed the song like nine times, and by the end of it she'd absolutely nailed it, and then she went away for a couple of days and practiced it, and then we finally got to do the recording of it," Walker said of working with Middleton in an interview with BBC. He continued, "And I was really impressed because it's one thing playing along with me in a studio, just the two of us, but then to jump straight in to playing with a live string quartet and a pianist and two backing singers." 

"I think we were both really nervous that it wasn't going to go quite to plan and one of us would let down the other person or whatever, but she was absolutely fabulous — she smashed it," Walker added.

What did you think about the Cambridge family's cozy Christmas celebration? Tell us your thoughts, and be sure to pass this on to your friends and family as well.