For Queen Elizabeth, Christmas break starts with a train ride.
The 92-year-old monarch left Buckingham Palace on Thursday morning to travel to Sandringham House in Norfolk, 110 miles north of London. She took the scheduled train (first class carriage, of course) from King’s Cross Station in London to King’s Lynn, Norfolk.
The Queen stepped off the train in a brown coat and scarf covering her head. Despite being bundled up, she still captured the attention of commuters on the platform who got an unexpected glimpse at royalty as they went about their normal business.
The trip to the country comes just one day after the Queen hosted the annual holiday lunch for members of the royal family at Buckingham Palace.
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Each year, members of the royal family join Queen Elizabeth at Sandringham Estate for Christmas. Guests usually arrive in the early afternoon on Christmas Eve. (The family opens their presents on Christmas Eve instead of Christmas Day.) After their church outing on the big day, the royal family heads back to Sandringham House for a lunch of Norfolk turkey and other festivities.
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Despite reports that Prince William and Kate Middleton would likely be spending the holiday with Kate’s family in Bucklebury, the royal couple will be joining the rest of the royal family, including Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, in Norfolk for Christmas with the Queen at Sandringham, PEOPLE previously confirmed.
Will and Kate will stay at their nearby home of Anmer Hall with children Prince George, 5, Princess Charlotte, 3, and 7-month-old Prince Louis. It’s unknown where Harry and Meghan, who are expecting their first child in the spring, will stay.
Claims have swirled about tension between brothers William and Harry and their wives, Kate and Meghan. But contrary to those reports, a source previously told PEOPLE that the couples enjoyed a memorable first Christmas together last year, when Meghan made her debut walk to church with the royal family on Christmas Day.
“They really loved Christmas and all had a wonderful time,” the source said. “I think the two women got on — they are definitely not best friends, but it was a really special time for them all to spend together.”