Princess Adeline, Duchess of Clarence

Chapter Sixty: Bleak Midwinter

25th of December 2019 - St Mary Magdalene Church, Sandringham

"What do you think of that virus coming out of China?" Princess Beatrice asked arms linked with Adeline as they made their way towards church together, it was a chilly morning and the royal family were in good spirits despite the notable absences. 

Meghan and Harry had not returned to the UK for the holidays, instead it was reported they would be spending the holidays with Doria in California for Archie's very first Christmas. 

Although the press were quick to suggest when the announcement had been made that they would not be spending Christmas with the royals might be a sign of discord or a slight. 

Daphne was in attendance along with George and Charlotte, this marking her first appearance at the morning Christmas service alongside Charlotte. 

Daphne held onto her mother's hand as they made the walk towards the church with George and Charlotte behind them with their parents who were walking with Charles. 

Simon and Edoardo were happily chatting beside their wives, the small group having paired off on the walk from the main house to the church for the service. 

"It's worrying, I can't believe how bad it seems to be getting so quickly," Adeline replied with a shake of her head, she had tried her best to keep up with what was being said but it seemed to develop so quickly. 

Since the entire situation had started at the beginning of the month, there seemed to be an uneasy in the air that Adeline had never felt before in her life. 

Something big was coming, a sense of the unknown that she had never expressed and she knew that this was certainly the start of something. 

"I do hope they sort everything out, it's making me nervous with the wedding coming up," Beatrice noted softly, she had been working so hard on planning her wedding on the 29th of May and she knew there was already tension in the air. 

Her father's friendship with Jeffrey Epstein, an American financier and convicted sex offender who was charged with sex trafficking of minors and died in prison, greatly impacted her wedding plans since the announcement had been made. 

After Prince Andrew's subsequent BBC interview, he was retired from royal duties and her wedding arrangements were scaled down. 

Adeline felt for her cousin, she had no sympathy for her disgraced uncle but she was close with Beatrice since they were close in age; she hated to see her so down with her own wedding planning when she had always dreamed of such a grand day. 

Instead the eldest York sister would have a much quieter wedding than that of her younger sister, it would not be the media spectacle that Eugenie's wedding had been when she had been over a year earlier. 

"How goes planning Rupert's wedding?" Beatrice asked knowing that the wedding as planned around the same time as her own, she was sure that there was still so much to do as the list seemed never ending of her own. 

There had been little to celebrate recently, there was so much tension in the air because of Harry and Meghan; it was likely going to grow, there was no denying that their absence was hard to ignore with everything else going on. 

"Ellie's finally happy with her wedding dress. Everything else is coming together," Adeline said smiling, she was so relieved that Ellie was finally happy with her dress. 

It was everything that she had ever wanted and that was what mattered, it had taken her a lot to wrap her head around that she didn't have to compete with the other weddings that had taken place.