For many of us, Christmas signals a time to switch off, unwind, eat copious amounts of ham, drink a lot of rosé and nap.
But over the pond in the United Kingdom, it’s a completely different story if your blood runs blue.
Yep, Christmas with the British Royal Family is a serious production and every item on the festive agenda runs to a perfectly-timed schedule.
In terms of celebrations, the royals attend an annual gathering at their private country castle, Sandringham House in Norfolk. It’s like the Hunger Games of Christmas shindigs, drenched in rigid formalities, strict protocol and a lot of mingling and polite small talk with senior members of the British monarchy.
A very merry and intense Christmas indeed!
But, once the official formalities are out of the way, Queen Elizabeth loved nothing more than spending time with her loved ones, tucking into the eggnog and having a laugh prior to her death in September 2022.
The Prince of Wales has also recently revealed that there will be quite the crowd at Sandringham this Christmas, with 45 members of his family “all in one room.”
With the Wales family and the King and Queen making up 7 of these guests, there are quite a few unknown seats for the festivities.
As we countdown to Christmas 2024, let’s take a look back at the best Royal Family Christmas traditions of all time and look to a new type of Christmas without the beloved matriarch of the royal family.
The annual pilgrimage to church on Christmas morning gives fans a glimpse of their favourite royals. (Credit: Getty)
01
The schedule is INSANE
A jam-packed calendar of socialising kicks off with a black-tie dinner at Sandringham, Norfolk on Christmas Eve with key royal family members including King Charles, Queen Consort Camilla, Prince William and Princess Catherine all in attendance.
It has been confirmed by Daily Mail that Prince Andrew and his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson have pulled out of Christmas at Sandringham. It is speculated that Andrew and Fergie will spend the day at the Royal Lodge which is their home on the Windsor Castle estate.
The Daily Mail reported that King Charles was hoping that his brother Andrew would ‘do the decent thing’ by not attending this years Christmas in light of the growing spy scandal.
The Duchess of York and her daughters Eugenie and Beatrice along with their families were in attendance last year but the Princess’ are expected to celebrate Christmas with their in-laws this year rather than attending festivities in Norfolk.
Despite the cut in the guest list, there is still around 45 royals attending dinner at Sandringham as revealed by Prince William last week.
Men suit up, women don designer gowns and apparently their best bling and tiaras!
Christmas morning starts with a full English breakfast before the clan, that was previously led by the Queen (we presume King Charles will now lead this), head to church for a morning service at St Mary Magdalene, followed by a 50-minute lunch, before gathering around the TV to watch the newly minted monarch’s pre-recorded Christmas message at 3pm on the dot.
If you’re thinking of sleeping in the next day, forget about it because there’s a round of pheasant shooting on Boxing Day. It’s certainly worlds away from eating leftover ham and watching the cricket like most Aussies do on the 26th!
Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis will get to open their presents on Christmas Eve. (Credit: Getty)
02
They DON’T open their presents on Christmas Day
Christmas is always best lived through the eyes of a child and for Prince George, eleven, Princess Charlotte, nine and six year-old Prince Louis, the little ones will get to open their presents on Christmas Eve with their loved ones.
The reason they get to dig into their presents the night before Christmas is thanks to the Royal Family’s German heritage. As per German tradition – and many European cultures – families open their presents on December 24 and it seems this habit has stuck for the British Royals.
“On Christmas Eve, the Royal Family lay out their presents on trestle tables and will exchange their gifts at teatime,” their official website explains.
The Royals do however, indulge in some stocking gifts the morning of Chrismas.
According to a source, Zara Tindall has shared that it’s not just the children of the Royal Family waking up to dig through their stockings on Christmas Day, but the adults of the family too.
When asked if even her late grandparents, Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip would have stockings on Christmas Day, Zara stated, ‘Of course’.
Queen Elizabeth II smiles to Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh just before the end of her first Christmas Day television speech on 25th December 1957. (Credit: Getty)
03
The King’s speech
Every year without fail, Her Majesty addressed the Commonwealth and the world delivering them a message of hope and peace.
And after over 70 years of Queen Elizabeth II delivering the annual address, King Charles now has to fill her boots and step into this role for the second time.
WATCH: The Queen delivers her 2018 Christmas speech. Post continues after the video…
The royal Christmas Day message has been a staple of British broadcasting ever since George V first took to the radio in 1932.
While the monarch’s main job is to remain impartial to political matters, the annual Christmas speech is the one time of year Queen Elizabeth could, and now King Charles can, express his thoughts outside of the government’s control.
It’s also a time of reflection as the monarch looks back at their family’s own personal milestones, from royal babies, to royal weddings.
The Prince and Princess of Wales’ 2023 Christmas card. (Credit: Getty)
04
Royal Christmas cards
As the year comes to an end, our favourite family often release a series of Christmas photos to thank the public for their support.
And for many avid royal watchers around the world, it’s not really Christmas until Prince William, Duchess Catherine and their angelic children pose for their annual festive photo.
Fingers crossed they release a new shot this year with their adorable family even more grown up!
Prince Charles and Duchess Camilla also embrace the Christmas card tradition and have shared many a festive holiday snap through the years.
Meanwhile, we’re hoping that despite officially exiting their royal royals, Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex share another festive card and give us a glimpse of their son Archie and daughter Lilibet.
Watch this space…
Prince William, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis joined their mother at her 2023 Christmas carol service. (Credit: Getty)
05
Members of the family host Christmas events throughout the season
Christmas isn’t just a one-day affair for the royal family – members of the family host a variety of events over the course of the festive season.
As they are patrons to many charities, Christmas is a time for the royals to show their support of causes close to their hearts.
One example of this is Catherine, Princess of Wales’ Together at Christmas carol service that she founded in 2020. Over the past four years, royals have flocked to Westminster Abbey in support of Kate‘s initiative, which features a variety of incredible guests and performers.
We’d love to have been a fly on the wall when The Queen opened her singing hamster! (Credit: Amazon)
06
They prefer gag presents or homemade gems
When you’re part of The Royal Family, you literally have a portfolio of palaces, ponies and posh purses so it’s rather realistic that the royal family prefer to get each other silly gifts instead of wasting money on extravagant things they don’t need.
Duchess Catherine has set the bar high, revealing she loved to make The Queen her very own top-secret chutney recipe prior to her grandmother in law passing away.
“I can remember being at Sandringham, for the first time, at Christmas. And I was worried what to give the Queen as her Christmas present,” Kate revealed in a documentary for The Queen’s 90th birthday six years ago.
“I was thinking, ‘Gosh, what should I give her?’ I thought back to what would I give my own grandparents. And I thought, ‘I’ll make her something.’ Which could have gone horribly wrong. But I decided to make my granny’s recipe of chutney. I was slightly worried about it, but I noticed the next day that it was on the table. I think such a simple gesture went such a long way for me.”
The mother-of-three also gave The Queen framed photos of her children that she’s snapped herself and we presume this tradition will continue with King Charles.
For Meghan Markle’s first festive season with her in-laws in 2017, she went all out with the tacky present brief and gifted The Queen a singing hamster.
According to The Daily Star, Megs’ move was a smash hit with the Monarch, who reportedly chortled: “It can keep my dogs company!”
“Meghan bought a little hamster that sings with a little rope for Her Majesty. It was so funny, especially when the corgis tried to take hold of the toy,” a source told the publication.
But perhaps the best-ever gag gift comes from Prince Harry, who, according to The Daily Express, once gave his granny The Queen a naughty shower cap which had the slogan “Ain’t life a b—h” emblazoned across it.
07
They dress up in black tie for Christmas Eve
Amongst the numerous activities that pan out over month of December, the Royal Family get suited up on Christmas Eve for a long suspected dinner on Christmas eve where King Charles and Queen Camilla host their extended family at Sandringham in Norfolk.
It is rumoured that this year, Prince Harry and Markle have been left off the guest list for the holiday gathering, with their list Christmas with the Royals dating back to 2018.
A flaming Christmas pudding is the ultimate end to any Christmas meal and perhaps it’s also the Queen’s favourite? (Credit: Chris Jackson/Getty)
08
The Christmas menu is very traditional
Author of Eating Royalty, Darren McGrady, has cooked a whopping seven Christmas meals for the royals – and in news that will surprise no one, he says that the meals have always remained very traditional.
Speaking with Hello! Online Darren revealed, “It was the same meal every year.”
“They’re actually boring when it comes to festivities! They didn’t do hams or anything, just traditional turkeys. We did three turkeys for the Queen and her family in the royal dining room, one for the children’s nursery and then more for the 100 or so staff, so everyone had a Christmas lunch.”
Revealing the mainstays of the Christmas menu, Darren added, “turkey, different stuffings – sage and onion, chestnut – and the traditional sides like roast potatoes, mash potatoes, parsnips and Brussel sprouts.”
Christmas with the Queen was an affair to remember and we are certain our new King will keep her festive traditions alive. (Image: REUTERS/POOL)
And for dessert? According to Darren, it was always Christmas pudding!
“The pudding was made in pudding basins, turned out, decorated in holly, doused in brandy and then the palace steward would carry it, flaming, into the royal dining room,” Darren said.
Later in the evening, after a walk around the grounds of Sandringham Estate, the royals would be treated to yet another elaborate meal in the form of a buffet.
Darren said, “When I was there Harrods would always give them a whole foie gras en croute. They’d have a whole Stilton cheese. We’d take the top off, pitchfork the top and pour port into it. It made this gorgeous spread for the crackers. It was really opulent. There was also a big York ham that was decorated.”
“Then after carving all of the meat, the Queen would then ask the steward to pour the Head Chef a drink and he’d get a whisky and they’d toast him and say thank you, and that was them saying thank you for the whole year.”
How lovely! Now, how do we score an invite?
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