When it comes to Christmas, members of the royal family are sticklers for tradition. Some of their rituals date back generations – others have been introduced more recently. Here’s a look at what the King and co will be getting up to this festive season.
Christmas is always celebrated at Sandringham
The red-brick residence in Norfolk, two hours and 40 minutes from London, is where the monarch and his family spend the holidays. Owned personally by the sovereign rather than being Crown property, the house was bought in 1862 for the Prince of Wales, later Edward VII. He began hosting Christmas there from the end of the century. Sandringham Palace was the setting of the first royal Christmas broadcast, made by George V in 1932. Elizabeth II broadcast her first televised Christmas message there in 1957.
From the 1960s, when her youngest children, Andrew and Edward, were small, Elizabeth held Christmas gatherings at Windsor Castle because it saved having to make the trip to Norfolk. When the castle was being rewired in 1988, the family decamped to Sandringham instead. And since then it has been the setting for all royal Christmases.
Royals arrive according to rank
You can’t just show up at Sandringham for Christmas when you feel like it. The protocol dictates that family members arrive in the reverse order of importance. The junior royals arrive first and the most senior – now King Charles and Queen Camilla – appear last. There is a reason for this: it means the monarch doesn’t have to wait around for anyone else.
Gifts are opened on Christmas Eve
The royals follow a German tradition, instigated by Queen Victoria’s husband Prince Albert (who also introduced Christmas trees to Britain from his home country). They open presents on Christmas Eve rather than waiting until Christmas Day. The wrapped packages are placed on trestle tables, then there is a “free-for-all”, according to Prince Harry in his memoir Spare, where everyone dives in to rip off the wrapping paper and open their gifts. The catch is that presents are meant to be funny or particularly thoughtful, as long as they are cheap.
Popular items in the past have included a leather toilet seat given to the now-King by his sister Princess Anne. And a pair of slippers Queen Elizabeth received from Prince William, which were emblazoned with her own face.
Family members are weighed before eating
This is possibly one of the family’s most bizarre traditions. Before Christmas dinner is served – a lavish feast of turkey and many other courses – every guest must step on the scales. They are weighed again after the meal. This dates back to the time of King Edward VII, when the purpose of the annual ritual was to ensure that everyone had had their fill at the meal. Guests are expected to have gained 1.3kg. The Queen continued it, much to the distress of Princess Diana, who suffered from the eating disorder bulimia and found the weigh-in traumatising.
The Christmas decorations stay up until February 6
Traditionally, Christmas decorations should be taken down on January 6, which is the Epiphany and marks the arrival of the wise men coming to visit baby Jesus. However, the decorations stay up at Sandringham until February 6. This was instigated by the late Queen as a mark of respect towards her father, George VI, who died at Sandringham on February 6, 1952.
The walk to church is a kind of mini-royal parade
Like clockwork, the royal family leaves Sandringham to walk to St Mary Magdalene Church on the estate for the 11am Christmas service. Afterwards, they stop to greet well-wishers, waiting patiently in the usually freezing temperatures.
In her later years, Elizabeth II was driven to the church. And favoured family members (often her daughter-in-law Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh) were allowed to travel with her.
Watching the King’s speech and playing charades is non-negotiable
After Christmas lunch, the family members change into slightly less formal clothing and reconvene to watch His Majesty’s Christmas address. It is a pre-recorded speech that screens at 3pm in the UK. Afternoon tea featuring Christmas cake, chocolate Yule log and mince pies with brandy butter is served.
Then comes one of the highlights of the day – a game of charades. The Windsors take the miming game very seriously and the competition is fierce. A formal buffet dinner is served at 8.15pm – stuffed boar’s head has been on the menu in the past – then there are more games, like doing jigsaw puzzles. A movie is often projected onto a screen in the ballroom.
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