Since they tied the knot, Prince William and Kate Middleton have bucked a few royal traditions in favor of doing things more to their modern liking — and this Christmas is no exception. According to an insider, instead of spending the entire day with the prince’s (or princess’) family, the Duke and Duchess will enjoy a good chunk of Christmas alone, just the two of them and their son.

The royal couple will reportedly meet up with the Queen and the rest of the family Christmas morning at Sandringham, but then part ways and head back to their home in Norfolk. A source says, “William spoke to the Queen about doing their own thing, especially since Kate has been suffering with acute morning sickness. He thought it would be nice for her to have a low-key Christmas. The Queen agreed.”

It’s doubtful that William was looking forward to telling his grandmother that he wasn’t going to spend all of Christmas day with her, as he’s done so all his life, but it’s incredibly sweet that he and Kate just want to have some low-key alone time together, and celebrate the day as a family. Their lives are hectic enough. It has to be so nice to unwind, just the two of them and Prince George.

Last year, William and Kate broke royal holiday tradition once again by spending Christmas with Kate’s family, so it’s likely that they’ll spend time with the Middletons on or around Christmas, as well. It’s so nice that they don’t feel confined to everything William has done for the holidays in the past — that has to make Kate feel like she really has a say in things. Also, props to Queen E for being so cool with everything.

It’ll be exciting to see how the royal couple spends the holidays in years to come as their family expands. I think we can say one thing is for certain: They definitely will keep us (and the Queen) on our toes!

What do you think of William and Kate breaking royal tradition?

[via The Stir]