King Charles ‘kept aware’ as walkout threatens Sandringham Christmas Day choir

The current tensions trace back around three years, when Rev Canon Paul Williams took up his position as rector of St Mary Magdalene, the parish church on the Sandringham Estate.

He also serves as domestic chaplain to the King. Soon after his arrival, Rev Williams began pursuing plans to modernise the church’s volunteer choir. As part of these reforms, he commissioned an external review of the 25-member group.

The assessment was carried out over an 18-month period by Tansy Castledine, who previously served as director of music at Peterborough Cathedral. The resulting 16-page report proved highly contentious.

The document, first reported by LBC, stated that choir members had “no knowledge of music or singing technique” and a “limited repertoire.”

While it acknowledged the choristers’ enthusiasm and dedication, it concluded that the group would need to “aspire to higher standards” if it wished to develop.

These findings formed part of a broader modernisation agenda from Rev Williams, which included proposals such as introducing social media channels to showcase the choir’s performances.

However, this approach was strongly disputed by Dr Claire Stewart, who had led music at the church for 13 years.

The disagreement over the direction of the choir gradually deepened, leading to significant strain within the parish community.

Dr Stewart took sick leave earlier this year and subsequently resigned from her role. She did not give detailed reasons publicly, but said: “I can confirm that I recently resigned as director of music at Sandringham parish church. At this stage it would be inappropriate for me to comment further on that matter.”

She added: “It was a pleasure and an honour to be a part of the Sunday worship of the Royal Family, who I always found very supportive towards myself and the choir.”

Her departure prompted a strong response from choir members and parents. Multiple choristers boycotted rehearsals, while several families removed their children from the group entirely.

Rev Williams had reportedly given parents a deadline to decide whether their children would continue in the choir.

In a message sent to choir members, he acknowledged there would be “mixed emotions” surrounding her exit.

The consequence has been a marked decrease in choir participation at a critical time in the church calendar.

With Advent underway, uncertainty now surrounds whether there will be a full choir available to accompany the Royal Family’s Christmas Day worship.

The service at Sandringham is traditionally known for its music, and any disruption may alter the character of what is normally a major seasonal occasion.

The situation has reached higher levels of the Church. King Charles is said to have been made aware of the dispute, and the Bishop of Norwich has also been kept informed.

Local feelings are running high, with one parish source telling LBC: “Everyone’s deeply upset. I’m distressed, angry and disappointed especially as this should be such a special time of year with Advent and Christmas just around the corner.”

Despite the ongoing difficulties, the Diocese of Norwich has maintained that worship will continue.

A spokeswoman said that “several members of the choir have continued to sing together throughout this time, including at sung services across the churches in the Sandringham group.”

She added that there remained “a full schedule of services planned at Sandringham to celebrate the joy of Christmas.”