A lot of families share eccentric Christmas traditions that can leave new in-laws wondering what they’ve got themselves into but the royal family might be the most eccentric of all.
Although the royal family has faced some major changes in recent years, including the deaths of the Queen and Prince Philip, as well as Prince Harry and Meghan’s move to California, they are still carrying on their traditions.
Another family member will be absent from this year’s celebrations too, as Prince Andrew has confirmed he won’t be travelling to Sandringham amid his latest scandal.
So what will Christmas Day look like for King Charles III and Queen Camilla this year?
From joke gifts and weigh-ins to black tie dinners, here’s what the family gets up to.
Who gets invited to Christmas at Sandringham?
The full Sandringham line-up used to include the Queen, Prince Philip and their four children – Prince Charles as he then was, Prince Andrew, Princess Anne and Prince Edward. Then there were the Queen’s grandchildren and great-grandchildren, including Prince William, as well as Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.
Last year, King Charles and Queen Camilla invited Andrew, Anne and Edward, as well as William and Kate, the Prince and Princess of Wales, and their three children.
Extended family, including Andrew, his daughters Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, their husbands and their mother, Sarah Ferguson, were also at Sandringham in 2023 and joined the family at church on Christmas Day morning.
However, Andrew will be absent this year – and it’s unclear how his change of plans will impact his close relatives.
It looks as though another diversion from tradition is on the cards too, with reports suggesting Camilla has invited her children and and grandchildren, too.
Meghan and Harry will probably be absent this year.
King Charles and Camilla traditionally lead the family on a walk to church (Getty Images)
What does the royal family do on Christmas Day?
Darren McGrady, who used to be the Queen’s chef, previously told the Mail on Sunday that Christmas Day begins with a fry-up breakfast for the male members of the family downstairs, while most of the married women traditionally have something lighter brought up to their rooms.
The family then walks to St Mary Magdalene church at 11am for the Christmas morning service.
After church, the family sits down to Christmas lunch. McGrady claimed the menu features “salad with shrimp or lobster [followed by] roasted turkey, and all of your traditional side dishes like parsnips, carrots, brussels sprouts and Christmas pudding with brandy butter for dessert”.
They do not watch TV on Christmas Day, except to watch the King’s, and previously the Queen’s speech.
On Boxing Day, there’s a pheasant shoot. It had previously been reported that the animal-loving Duchess of Sussex had asked Prince Harry to withdraw from this tradition, but the Telegraph more recently quoted a “well placed” Kensington Palace source who told the paper this was “completely untrue”.
The Prince and Princess of Wales and their children (Josh Shinner/Kensington Palace/PA) (PA Media)
What do the royal family do about Christmas gifts?
On Christmas Eve, the family lay out their gifts on a trestle table in the dining room. Apparently, the present-giving was traditionally presided over by the late Prince Philip.
Cheap and joke gifts are encouraged. Rumoured previous presents include a singing hamster given by Meghan to the Queen, which she reportedly adored, a white leather loo seat given to King Charles by Princess Anne, and a grow your own girlfriend kit given by Catherine to Prince Harry.
Our favourite gift story of all? Prince Harry apparently once gave the late Queen a shower cap that had “ain’t life a bitch” emblazoned on it.
Apparently, Princess Diana didn’t initially get the brief about the cheap gift rule and gave the family cashmere sweaters on Christmas Eve in 1981. Though the following year she gave Sarah Ferguson – Prince Andrew’s wife at the time – a leopard print bath mat.
What’s the strangest royal family tradition of all?
Majesty editor Ingrid Seward told Grazia that royal family members are traditionally weighed before and after their Christmas dinner.
She says the weigh-in began with King Edward VII, who wanted to make sure his guests ate well. Today, the tradition is apparently continued on a pair of antique scales.
Take a property tour: the Royal family’s homes and palaces
Buckingham Palace: London, SW1 Who does it belong to? Royal Collection TrustWho lives there? The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh
The working headquarters of the monarchy. The Queen and Prince Philip live in private apartments on the north side of the Palace, while rooms on the upper floors of the north and east sides are occupied by other members of the royal family. (Getty)
Buckingham Palace: Over 50,000 people visit the Palace every year, with the Queen’s garden parties held three times each summer and attended by around 30,000 guests. (Getty)
Buckingham Palace: The Palace once belonged to Samantha Cameron’s family and became a royal residence when it was acquired by George III in 1761 as a family home for his wife, Queen Charlotte and their children. (Getty)
Buckingham Palace: Queen Victoria was the first sovereign to rule from Buckingham Palace, using it as a home and a place of entertainment. The high point of royal entertaining at the Palace today is the state banquet, held by the Queen in the ballroom on the evening of the first day of a state visit of a foreign head of state. (Getty)
Windsor Castle: Windsor and MaindenheadWho does it belong to? Royal Collection TrustWho lives there: The Queen
The official residence of Her Majesty, Windsor Castle is the oldest and largest inhabited castle in the world. It has been the family home of British kings and queens for almost 1,000 years. (AFP)
Windsor Castle: William the Conqueror originally commissioned the building of Windsor Castle in around 1070, to secure the western approach to London. It took 16 years to complete and soon became a royal residence thanks to its location, which offered both easy access to London and proximity to a royal hunting forest. (Getty)
Windsor Castle: The Queen spends most of her private weekends at Windsor and takes up official residence for a month over Easter (March to April), which is known as Easter Court. It is here that the Queen often hosts state visits from monarchs and presidents.
The Royal Lodge at Windsor Castle was surrounded by flood water after the Thames burst its banks on February 10, 2014 (Getty)
Kensington Palace: London, W8Who does it belong to? The Queen, on behalf of the nationWho lives there: Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Prince Harry, the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, the Duke and Duchess of Kent, and Prince and Princess Michael of KentWilliam and Kate have lived in Kensington Palace since 2013. Dating back to the Jacobean times, the Palace has a long history as a residence for members of the royal family. (Getty)
Kensington Palace: Diana, Princess of Wales, occupied apartments in the north-west part of the palace from 1981 until her death in 1997. (Getty)
Kensington Palace: Parts of the palace reopened to the public in 2012 after a £12 million renovation project that included the King’s state apartments (pictured). (Getty)
St James’s Palace: London, SW1Who lives there? The Palace contains the London residences of the Prince of Wales, the Princess Royal and Princess Alexandra.
In the royal family for over 300 years, St James’s Palace has been the setting of some of the most important events in royal history. The Accession Council meets in St James’s Palace after the death of a monarch and, later, the accession of the new sovereign is proclaimed by Garter King of Arms from the Proclamation Gallery overlooking Friary Court. Prince George was christened there in 2013. (AFP)
What’s the dress code for the royal family at Christmas?
On Christmas Eve there’s a black tie dress code for dinner, while for church on Christmas Day the ladies wear hats.
For the Boxing Day shoot, it’s a country casual vibe – think Barbour jackets and plus fours.
Just how many Christmas trees are involved?
For British royalty, Christmas trees really are a family tradition. Queen Charlotte, the German wife of King George III, is believed to have set up the first Christmas tree at Queen’s Lodge in Windsor in 1800, though they became widely popular in Queen Victoria’s reign, after her German husband Prince Albert popularised them in 1848.
There are several lavish Christmas trees at Buckingham Palace (grown on the Queen’s estate in Windsor) as well as a 20-foot tree at Windsor Castle. But at Sandringham, things are a little more laid back – the Queen was said to have liked having a single tree put up which the children were encouraged to decorate on Christmas Eve.