Entertainment
King Charles and royal family, minus Andrew, gather for Christmas at Sandringham
King Charles III and members of the royal family — minus his disgraced brother, the former Prince Andrew — walked to church for Christmas services Thursday morning on the king’s private Sandringham Estate, where they traditionally gather for the holiday.
Charles and Queen Camilla, along with the Prince and Princess of Wales, William and Kate, and their children, Princes George and Louis and Princess Charlotte, and their extended family attended the service at St. Mary Magdalene Church at Sandringham, in Norfolk, about 100 miles north of London.
Jordan Peck / Getty Images / JORDAN_PECK
Members of the royal family also stopped to greet people in the crowd outside.
Jordan Peck / Getty Images 
Andrew was not present for the holiday gathering, BBC News reported, in the wake of the scandal over his ties to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. He did not attend last year either. In October, he was stripped of his remaining titles and honors, including prince, and is now known as Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor.
Later in the day, the king’s annual Christmas Day speech to the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth is expected to focus on the theme of pilgrimage.
His address was recorded at Westminster Abbey, the landmark known as the site of lavish coronations and royal weddings it has hosted for more than 1,000 years. The abbey is also the focus of an annual pilgrimage to the tomb of Edward the Confessor, which lies at the heart of the church. Edward, a monk-like monarch, was canonized as a saint in 1161.
The monarch’s annual holiday message is watched by millions of people in the U.K. and across the Commonwealth, a voluntary association of 56 independent nations, most of which have historic ties to Britain. The prerecorded speech is broadcast at 3 p.m. there, when many families are enjoying their traditional Christmas lunch.
Aaron Chown / POOL /AFP via Getty Images 
The speech is one of the rare occasions when Charles, 77, can voice his own views and doesn’t seek guidance from the government. It usually has a strong religious framework, reflects current issues and sometimes draws on the monarch’s personal experiences.
This is Charles’ fourth Christmas speech since ascending to the throne after his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, died in September 2022.
The address comes just two weeks after Charles made a deeply personal television appearance in which he said “good news” from his doctors meant that he would be able to reduce his treatment for cancer in the new year.
Jordan Peck / Getty Images 
The king was diagnosed with a still undisclosed form of cancer in early 2024. Buckingham Palace says his treatment is now moving to a “precautionary phase” and his condition will be monitored to ensure his continued recovery.
During last year’s Christmas address, Charles honored care workers around the country and gave a special thanks to the doctors and nurses who supported him after his cancer diagnosis.
Catherine, Princess of Wales, also underwent treatment for cancer last year. She said in January that she was in remission after going through some “hard times” during her recovery. Kate, as she is widely called, has not shared details about what type of cancer it was.
She and her husband, Prince William, Prince of Wales and heir to the throne, have three children: 12-year-old Prince George of Wales, 10-year-old Princess Charlotte of Wales and 7-year-old Prince Louis of Wales.
Jordan Peck / Getty Images 
Nottingham Forest and Scotland legend John Robertson, described by the iconic Briah Clough as “the Picasso of our game,” has died at the age of 72.
The winger was an essential part of the Forest team that achieved the unthinkable under Clough, rising from the second division to win back-to-back European Cups in 1979 and 1980.
Robertson’s contributions in those finals cemented his legacy, giving the assist for Trevor Francis’s winner in 1979 before scoring the decisive goal himself against Hamburg in 1980.
The legend scored a winning goal for Scotland against England at Wembley in 1981.
Robertson was born in Scotland. At first, he struggled with professionalism at Forest before a stern talk from Clough’s assistant, Peter Taylor, transformed his career.
He became the creative heartbeat of a legendary side, marking over 500 appearances and winning several trophies.
After his retirement, he enjoyed a successful coaching career, highly notable as assistant to former teammate Martin O’Neill at Celtic.
The football industry has started pouring tributes with messages from Forest, Derby County, and the Scottish national team, mourning the loss of the football legend.
- Footage shows Christmas decorations torn down.
- Vandalism incident also reported in India’s Assam.
- Pakistan’s Christians celebrate festival with enthusiasm.
Christmas celebrations turned sour for the Christian community in India after a violent mob attacked and vandalised decorations in Chhattisgarh’s capital city of Raipur.
A mob armed with wooden sticks vandalised Christmas decorations and installations at a mall on Wednesday, ahead of the festival, according to The Indian Express.
The group — reportedly comprising 30 to 40 masked men — stormed the mall during a Chhattisgarh bandh called to protest alleged religious conversion-related violence in Kanker.
Footage of the incident showed suspects moving through the mall and tearing down decorations that had been put up ahead of the Christian festival.
Police registered a first information report (FIR) based on a complaint from mall management against unidentified individuals following the incident, India Today reported.
In another such incident, the Vishva Hindu Parishad Bajrang Dal vandalised a school during the Christmas preparations in Assam’s Nalbari district.
Members of the far-right party also torched and damaged festival items, while they also staged a protest against Christmas celebrations in Nalbari, according to a report by The Hindu.
Last month, a US report recommended designating India as a country of “special concern” due to religious prejudice and serious violations of religious freedom.
US Commission on International Religious Freedom, in its report, exposed religious discrimination in India and extremist policies of the RSS and the BJP’s Hindutva agenda.
The report revealed that Modi and the BJP had implemented discriminatory policies against minorities in line with the Hindutva ideology.
It added that the BJP, as the political wing of the RSS, promotes Hindu nationalism.
The RSS has been involved for decades in violent acts against minorities, particularly Muslims and Sikhs.
Meanwhile, Christians across the world are celebrating Christmas with religious devotion and traditional celebrations, joining millions of believers worldwide in observing the festival.
In Pakistan, prayer ceremonies were also held by the Christian community during the festival.
Churches in Karachi were decorated as security was tightened around them across the city. At St Patrick’s Church in Saddar, the community marked the festival with enthusiasm.
In Lahore, colourful celebrations began as soon as the clock struck 12 at night, with churches adorned with multicoloured lights for the occasion.
Bridgerton season four cast, Luke Thompson, Yerin Ha and Hannah Dodd, has a treat for their fans.
The series run by Jess Brownwell introduced the 12 Days of Bridgerton, a festive promotional campaign run by Shondaland and Netflix.
It was launched on December 15 and will run through late December functioning like an adventure calendar for fans.
In a new Instagram post Thompson, Ha and Dodd excited fans with what to expect during 12 Days of Bridgerton.
In the clip Thompson on behalf of the series wished the fans a “Happy Holiday season,” with Dodd chiming in saying, “and a happy New Year.”
Ha added that the cast is looking forward for fans to watch the new season.
Before the clip could end, Dodd quickly added that “Before that, there is one last surprise.”
Thompson ended the clip by saying, “that’s all we can say now.”
Meanwhile, Netflix’s Tudum site has released an invitation and RSVP portal for the Bridgerton season four premiere Masquerade, a free virtual live event for fans worldwide.
The show will be premiered on January 14, 2026, two weeks before it’s available.
The worldwide premiere of season four will be in two volumes, part one will be released on January 29 and second on February 26.
Tajik forces ‘kill three terrorists’ after border infiltration from Afghanistan
Nottingham forest legend John Robertson dies at 72, cause of death not disclosed
Turkiye detains 115 alleged Daesh members
-
Fashion1 week agoIndonesia’s thrift surge fuels waste and textile industry woes
-
Tech1 week agoT-Mobile Business Internet and Phone Deals
-
Business1 week agoBP names new boss as current CEO leaves after less than two years
-
Sports1 week agoPKF summons meeting after Pakistani player represents India in kabaddi tournament
-
Entertainment1 week agoIndia streamlines visa rules in boost for Chinese professionals
-
Sports1 week agoUWCL grades for all 18 teams: Leuven get A+; Barça an A-, PSG fail
-
Sports5 days ago
Alabama turned Oklahoma’s College Football Playoff dream into a nightmare
-
Entertainment1 week agoRadiation fears rise after cracks found in $2 billion Chernobyl shield