The march of the Middletons! Carole and her clan FINALLY join the royals after Kate and William snubbed the Queen to spend the festive period with her family (and even Pippa's fiancé gets an invite)

  • Carole, 61, was joined by her family for the Sandringham church service
  • Middletons spent the Christmas break in Berkshire with Kate and William
  • But they travelled to the Queen's Norfolk estate for the service on Sunday
  • Kate, who turns 35 tomorrow, is expected to celebrate her birthday privately 

By Unity Blott For Mailonline

Published: 08:45 EST, 8 January 2017 | Updated: 13:00 EST, 8 January 2017

The Middletons finally joined the Royal family in Sandringham today after enjoying a quiet Christmas away from the spotlight.

Carole, 61, and her husband Michael looked delighted to be leading the Middleton clan at a church service with the Queen on the Norfolk estate on Sunday morning, a day before Kate's birthday.

It comes after the family, along with the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, who turns 35 tomorrow, snubbed the traditional gathering in Sandringham in favour of a private Christmas at the Middleton home near Bucklebury in Berkshire.

Carole Middleton, far right, is joined by her husband Michael as well as James, Pippa, Kate and William as the family attend a church service at St. Mary Magdalene with the Queen

But today the couple, along with Carole, Michael, James and Pippa, were happy to don their Sunday best as they joined the royals for the service St Mary Magdalene Church.

Pippa's fiance James Matthews, the older brother of Made In Chelsea bad boy, Spencer, was even invited along. The couple are set to wed later this year. 

William and Kate enjoyed a break from public duties over the holidays, only stepping out for a local church service on Christmas Day, and have barely been seen out in public in weeks.

The £4.7 million Middleton mansion has long been a haven for William and Kate, who spent a number of weeks there within days of George, now three, being born.

It was the second time the couple have joined the Middletons for Christmas Day since they married in 2011 and the first since their children, Prince George and Princess Charlotte, were born.

Pippa's fiance James Matthews, the older brother of Made In Chelsea bad boy, Spencer, was even invited along. The couple are set to wed later this year

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were in Sandringham on Sunday, following a quiet Christmas with the Middletons at the family home near Bucklebury in Berkshire

Back to business: The couple enjoyed a break from public duties over the holidays, only stepping out for a church service on Christmas, and have barely been seen in public in weeks

The Middleton matriarch wrapped up in a black wool coat with a fur collar, adding a pair of leather gloves and a small clutch bag, for the church service on Sunday morning

Carole and Michael share a joke following the service at St Mary Magdalene Church at Sandringham. They are believed to have travelled from their family home near Bucklebury

Carole Middleton enjoyed the company of her daughter, Kate, along with William, George and Charlotte on Christmas Day in Berkshire, for the second time since the pair married in 2011

The last time the couple stayed away from the traditional royal gathering was in December 2012, shortly after Kate was discharged from hospital having been treated for severe morning sickness when she was pregnant with George.

But it was back to business last week as William defied critics by returning to his job as a helicopter pilot. 

Last year he took an extended three-week festive holiday, but this year he has returned to his duties on January 3 straight after the New Year bank holiday like most workers.

Pippa Middleton, far left, who is due to marry latr this year, joins her father Michael and brother James. She is believed to have spent Christmas at home in Berkshire with Kate and William

Pippa looked chic in a military-style trench coat and broad-rimmed hat as she joined her family and the royals for the Sandringham church service on Sunday morning

Statistics compiled by Timothy O’Donovan, from Berkshire, from the daily court circular, show William attended 188 engagements last year, while Kate attended 140.

The pair say they are committed to raising their children, but comparisons will be drawn with Charles and Diana who managed more engagement a year when Harry and William were children. 

The pair will have their hands full this year as Kate's younger sister, Pippa, prepared to tie the knot to her hedgefund manager boyfriend, James Matthews, in the society wedding of the year - at the same church where the Middletons went on Christmas Day. 

Kate is expected to mark her 35th birthday on Monday privately with the Duke of Cambridge and her children Prince George and Princess Charlotte, ahead of her first public engagements of the new year.

The Middletons joined the Queen, who is recovering from a bout of ill health, and Prince Philip. The Queen broke protocol for the first time ever when she decided not to attend the traditional Christmas and New Year's church services over the festive period

The Queen is not believed to have been seen in public since early December before her appearance today, when she was joined by Kate, William and the Middletons

On Wednesday, the Duchess is dropping in on an Early Years Parenting Unit at the Anna Freud National Centre for Children and Families in north London to learn more about their work with families with children under five years old. 

Kate will also carry out a joint engagement with William the same day when they visit a Child Bereavement UK Centre in Stratford, east London, to mark its first anniversary.

Royal watchers are waiting to see whether 2017 will be the year the Cambridges expand their brood. Kate, who is one of three herself, is thought to be keen to have another child – a sibling for George and Charlotte. 

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