The granddaughter of Princess Anne was given a “very important job” to do while at the Christmas church service yesterday morning at Sandringham.

Mia Tindall, daughter of Zara and Mike Tindall, walked to the church beside Prince Louis and his parents, the Prince and Princess of Wales. They walked behind the King and Queen, who were greeted by around a thousand local residents, many of whom had waited hours on Christmas morning to catch a glimpse of the family.

And the nine-year-old was given the job of Louis’s anchor for the short walk, according to a body language expert. Judi James told the Mirror: “Louis, like most small children on Christmas morning, looked excited but also impatient.”

She added: “Zara’s daughter had been given the job of anchoring his left hand while William held onto his right and even then he looked so excited he was pulling on his dad’s arm to get into the service.

“William placed a cupped hand on the back of Louis’s head in a gesture of affection but also of calming a child down.

“But even as he waited to do the greeting rituals with the clergy, Louis crossed one lower leg over the other as though keen to get launched into his Christmas Day.”

Other royals at the event included the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Princess Beatrice and Eugenie with their husbands, Sarah Ferguson and Prince Andrew.

Each year the royals head to Sandringham for the Christmas period, kicking off the festivities with a lavish black tie dinner on Christmas Eve and a gift exchange – in a nod to the Firm’s German heritage.

On Christmas morning they make their way to St Mary Magdalene Church on the Norfolk Estate for a Christmas Day service. They stop and chat with members of the public who gather to share their best wishes to the Royal Family.

And at 3pm, the King delivered his second Christmas speech. It will be the first time a Christmas tree is the backdrop and it has been decorated with natural and sustainable decorations.