William forced to call protective services for Kate during Christmas walk

The royals were greeted happily on their annual Christmas walk from their Sandringham estate to St Mary Magdalene Church in Norfolk, but there was one moment we didn't see – until now.

The Wales family was spotted happily greeting the crowds, with Prince George, 11, and Princess Charlotte, nine, and Prince Louis, six, excitedly collecting gifts from their admirers.

Watch the video above

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Prince William also helped his brood collect their Christmas gifts and kept it moving, but he couldn't do so for his wife, Catherine, Princess of Wales, who hadn't had a chance to interact with fans in such close proximity for the entire year amid her health battle.

In a video posted to X, formerly Twitter, William was seen trying to subtly signal to his wife to move on, but Kate paid him no mind, instead loading up her protective security guard's arms with the flowers she was receiving.

"The Princess of Wales decided to make up for all the people she didn't greet this year in one go," commented the user who uploaded the video.

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Detail in Kate's Christmas outfit links her to her kids

Eventually, William and the children had made it to the end of the road, while Kate was still lingering at the front.

Seeing the need to call in more strict measures, William was seen watching his wife as he called someone on the phone, standing at the end of the road surrounded by his children.

It was made obvious who he was calling as a bodyguard with his phone to his ear rushed the Princess of Wales through the rest of the crowd, who had only just realised she was lagging behind and told fans, "I think I've lost my family!"

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The Christmas walk marks one year since the last time we saw the Princess of Wales in public in December 2023 before she announced her complications with cancer.

In January 2024, it was announced that she would be undergoing a planned abdominal surgery, being hospitalised at the same time as her father-in-law, King Charles III.

After being absent from the public eye and following much speculation, Catherine revealed in March she was undergoing "preventative chemotherapy" treatment following a cancer diagnosis.

She has made the occasional public appearance over the year, only recently returning to royal duties after completing chemotherapy.

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