Deciding where to spend Christmas can be a challenging decision for many families, and the Prince and Princess of Wales are no exception.

Before their marriage, tradition dictated that Kate could not celebrate Christmas with the Royal family at Sandringham, resulting in her and Prince William spending December 25 apart. This was still the case in 2006, despite their long-term relationship.

Although they weren’t together for Christmas, reports suggest they had significant plans for New Year’s. However, according to a book, Kate was left devastated when William canceled the plans at the last minute, causing her to worry about their relationship’s future.

In her 2011 book, The Making of a Royal Romance, Royal author Katie Nicholl alleges that William had promised to join Kate’s family but chose to stay with his own instead, informing her over the phone on Boxing Day. Nicholl writes: “William had been having second thoughts and sat down with his father and his grandmother to have a frank discussion about his future with Kate. Both advised him not to hurry into anything.”

A few weeks later in 2007, Kate and William briefly separated, and sources later claimed the late Queen was disappointed by the split.

However, the breakup was short-lived as William and Kate were spotted kissing at an army party at Bovington barracks shortly after. In July 2007, Kate and her brother James attended the Concert for Diana at Wembley, marking ten years since the death of William’s mother, Princess Diana.

Their love story was soon confirmed to be back on track, with Kate moving into William’s Clarence House flat. Here, he would return from his military duties for cozy weekends together – and as they say, the rest is history.

In 2010, the couple announced their engagement and tied the knot in April 2011. They’ve been happily married for nearly 13 years now and are proud parents to three children – Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis.

As for what the Royal children, aged 10, eight, and five, will receive for Christmas this year remains a mystery. However, according to Katie, Kate is cautious about not showering her children with lavish tech gifts. She reportedly prefers to give them practical presents to avoid excessive screen time.