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William helps Sandringham side to victory before joining royals
Last updated at 15:52pm on 25.12.06
Prince William arrives at Sandringham for the Christmas Day service holding hands with his cousin Margarita Armstrong-Jones, four
Army officer Prince William directed operations from central midfield during a festive football game in a village near the Queen's estate in Sandringham, Norfolk.
William, a 2nd Lieutenant in the Household Cavalry, helped his side win the Christmas Eve kickabout in Castle Rising 4-1.
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• Gallery : The Royal Family at Sandringham
The Prince, 24, donned a red Castle Rising number 5 shirt for the game against a group of locals.
He then produced a delicate chip from the right side of the 18-yard box to put his side ahead, as plain-clothed Royal protection officers watched from the sidelines.
There was no sign of any other members of the Royal family - nor of William's girlfriend Kate Middleton.
About 20 villagers gathered to watch the game and two uniformed policemen were on hand to keep away unwelcome visitors.
William, who drove himself to the game, went through a series of stretching exercises before kick-off and larked about with other players.
He arrived and left without comment.
The Prince, who is spending Christmas with the Queen at Sandringham, then joined other members of the Royal Family at a Christmas morning church service on the estate.
The Queen arrived by car with the Countess of Wessex for the service at St Mary Magdalene Church in Sandringham, Norfolk.
Four-year-old Margarita Armstrong-Jones stole the show as the Royal Family attended a Christmas Day church service.
Margarita, the daughter of the Queen's nephew Viscount Linley, swung from the hands of her cousins Prince William and Peter Phillips as she made her way to St Mary Magdalen Church near the Queen's residence at Sandringham, Norfolk.
She then gazed adoringly up at William as she held his hand before helping the Queen collect flowers from local children after the service.
Margarita was in the news in September when she was photographed sitting on the luggage rack of her father's bicycle in rush hour traffic in London.
The little girl was one of a number of royal females to catch the eye of a watching crowd of around 500 people.
Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, daughters of the Duke of York, drew admiring glances as they made their way to church in short skirts, stylish hats and matching shoes.
Zara Phillips, daughter of the Princess Royal, also scored high in the fashion stakes with a Sixties-style grey and white flower-patterned coat.
The Duchess of Cornwall - wife of the Prince of Wales - wore a leopardskin-patterned feathered hat and the Countess of Wessex, wife of the Earl of Wessex, completed the ensemble with unusual Tyrolean-style headwear.
Other members of the Royal Family walked to the service from Sandringham House, which is nearby.
