Prince George gives royal outing a miss

December 26, 2013 at 1:52AM
Britain's Prince William, left, accompanied by his wife Kate, Duchess of Cambridge, arrive to attend a Christmas Day Service with other members of the royal family at St. Mary's church on the grounds of Sandringham Estate, the Queen's royal estate, in Norfolk, England, Wednesday, Dec. 25, 2013. (AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis)
Prince William and his wife, Kate, Duchess of Cambridge, arrived for a Christmas Day service at St. Mary’s church on the grounds of Sandringham Estate. (The Minnesota Star Tribune)

Britain's royal family turned out in force Wednesday for a traditional Christmas church service, but the littlest prince was nowhere in sight.

While last year's royal Christmas had several noticeable absences — Prince Harry was in Afghanistan and Prince William spent Christmas with his in-laws — four generations gathered this year at Queen Elizabeth's sprawling Sandringham estate in Norfolk. The queen arrived for the service at St. Mary Magdalene Church on the estate, accompanied by her granddaughter Zara Phillips, who is pregnant with her first child.

Many of the well-wishers gathered near the church had hoped to catch a glimpse of Prince George, the newest member of the royal family. While the young prince was nowhere to be seen, his parents — Prince William and his wife, Kate — arrived at the church holding hands. Cicely Howard, 75, asked about the baby when she greeted Kate outside of the church. "She told me he was having a lovely day but was more interested in the wrapping paper than the presents."

It's splits for the Spitzers

Eliot Spitzer, the former governor of New York, and his wife, Silda Wall Spitzer, are set to divorce after 26 years of marriage, the couple said Tuesday night. "We regret that our marital relationship has come to an end," the couple wrote in a joint statement issued on Christmas Eve by Spitzer's spokeswoman.

Spitzer, 54, the scion of a wealthy real estate family, and Wall Spitzer, 55, a former corporate lawyer, had been living in separate apartments for months. The couple, who met at Harvard Law School and have three daughters, were considered a consummate power duo until Spitzer abruptly resigned the governorship five years ago amid a prostitution scandal. The image of an ashen-faced Wall Spitzer standing beside her husband as he announced his resignation prompted a national discussion about the role of political wives and even helped inspire a television series, "The Good Wife."

Cabbie doesn't cash in: Las Vegas cabdriver Gerardo Gamboa thought someone left a bag of chocolates in the back seat of his vehicle, but the stash turned out to be $300,000 in cash. Now, Gamboa is winning honors for honesty after turning in the money he found Monday, which was returned to an unidentified poker player. Yellow Checker Star Transportation rewarded Gamboa with $1,000 and a dinner for two at a restaurant.

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FILE - In this March 12, 2008, file photo, New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer announces his resignation amid a prostitution scandal as his wife Silda stands by at the governorís office in New York. Spitzer and wife Silda Wall Spitzer announced Tuesday, Dec. 24, 2013, that their marriage of more than two decades is over. (AP Photo/Stephen Chernin, File)
Wall Spitzer (The Minnesota Star Tribune)
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