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Royal family attend Christmas service
The Queen and members of the Royal Family attended a Christmas Day church service today as the Duke of Edinburgh recuperated in hospital following surgery.
The Duchess of Cambridge joined royals at the service at a church on the Queen's estate in Sandringham, Norfolk, for the first time as 90-year-old Prince Philip was being treated at Papworth Hospital near Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire, following treatment for a blocked coronary artery.
Police estimated 3,000 well-wishers had gathered outside St Mary Magdalene Church to see royals, including the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall, the Duke of Cambridge, Prince Harry, the Princess Royal, the Duke of York, and the Earl and Countess of Wessex, arrive.
Police estimated 3,000 well-wishers had gathered outside St Mary Magdalene Church to see royals, including the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall, the Duke of Cambridge, Prince Harry, the Princess Royal, the Duke of York, and the Earl and Countess of Wessex, arrive.
Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge arrives ahead of the British Royal family Christmas Day church serviceEngland rugby player Mike Tindall and the Queen's granddaughter Zara Phillips, who married in the summer, also attended the service.
The royals traditionally gather at Sandringham for Christmas. Philip normally walks the few hundred yards from the main house to the church and is not thought to have missed a Christmas Day service before.
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Well-wishers called out with questions about the Duke, but members of the family did not respond.
The Duchess of Cambridge is spending her first Christmas as part of the Royal Family following her marriage to Prince William, now the Duke of Cambridge, in April.
By 9.30am hundreds of people were waiting at the gates, with queues stretching back around 300 yards.
From left, Britain's Prince Andrew, Prince William, Kate Duchess of Cambridge, Prince Charles, Prince Harry and Camilla Duchess of Cornwall arrive to attend a Christmas ServiceVeteran royal-watcher Mary Relph, 77, from Shouldham, near Sandringham, said the royals had been spending Christmas at Sandringham for the last two decades and queues had never been as long.
"I have never seen queues like this on Christmas Day before, I have never seen this amount of people here since Diana was alive," she said.
"People are obviously coming to see Kate Middleton."
She said she was sure the Duke of Edinburgh had never missed a Christmas at Sandringham before.
A spokesman for Buckingham Palace said Kate was wearing a hat by Jane Corbett.
Her coat was created by an independent British dressmaker, he added, but declined to reveal the designer's identity.
"The Duchess is keen to use independent British dressmakers, whose skills and craftsmanship she admires," he said.
Corbett, who is based in Hungerford, Berkshire, describes herself as a "couture milliner and artist" on her website.
She has been creating bespoke hats for more than 15 years and was trained by Rose Cory, the late Queen Mother's milliner.
Corbett designed the pale blue hat that mother Carole Middleton wore to Kate's wedding in April.
Every piece is hand-crafted to suit each client, their outfit and occasion, her website says.
The Queen wore a dress in lavender Armani wool gabardine and a coat in lavender wool boucle, both by Karl Ludwig.
Her ivory hat with lavender wool boucle detail at the base was created by Angela Kelly.
She wore a diamond shell brooch with a pearl at the centre.
During the service, rector of Sandringham the Rev Jonathan Riviere said: "We pray for the Queen and the Royal Family, especially today we pray for Prince Philip and his continued recovery."
