The Queen Mother joined members of the Royal
Family at a Christmas Eve church service at
the Sandringham estate in Norfolk.
She was driven to door of Sandringham's parish
church in a golf buggy, making her first public
appearance since falling and breaking her
collarbone nearly two months ago.
Inside the church she sat next to the Queen,
who wore a pink coat and matching hat, Prince
Charles and her grandsons Harry and William,
recently returned from expedition in Chile.
The service, conducted
by the Rector of
Sandringham, Canon
George Hall, was
televised live for the
first time on BBC One's
Morning Worship
programme.
Archbishop of
Canterbury George
Carey gave the sermon
to the 300-strong
congregation.
The Duke of York, who was accompanied by
his daughters Beatrice and Eugenie, read one
of the lessons.
Other royals in the congregation included the
Princess Royal, her husband Tim Lawrence and
her son Peter Phillips, and the Earl and
Countess of Wessex.
Zara Phillips, injured in a car accident on
Friday, and Princess Margaret did not attend
the service.
'Names not numbers'
It is the first time the Queen has invited Dr
Carey to preach a sermon at her parish church
on the royal estate.
He spoke of the importance of names, rather
than the ever increasing numbers attached to
people's identities.
"National Insurance numbers, credit card
numbers, passport numbers and so on.
Sometimes it feels that without a number we
hardly exist," he said.
"I am not suggesting a
return to some
supposed rural paradise.
"But we can and must
guard against mere
numbers becoming more
important than the
people, relationships and communities whose
reality they hide."
He also said it was sad that in the jubilee year
2000 the celebrations in Jesus's birthplace
Bethlehem had been cancelled because of the
continuing violence in the Holy Land.
The service was relayed to the crowd waiting
outside who presented flowers to the Queen
Mother and the Queen as they left the small
Victorian Church of St Mary Magdalene.
The Queen Mother has
spent the last seven
weeks recuperating at
her London home,
Clarence House.
On Friday, she was
flown by helicopter
from RAF Northolt to
Sandringham, to join
members of the Royal
Family including Prince
William, who has just
returned from his
10-week visit to Chile.
Dr Carey is scheduled to have lunch with the
Queen at Sandringham House before returning
to Canterbury later on Sunday.
Members of the Royal Family will return to St
Mary Magdalene's again on Christmas Day to
attend morning service.
All senior Royals gathering at Sandringham are
expected to arrive by tea-time on Christmas
Eve, the time they traditionally open their
presents.