There’s no place like home for the holidays, especially if “home” is Sandringham. Queen Elizabeth’s sprawling estate in Norfolk is perhaps best known as the setting for the royal family’s annual Christmas celebrations. However, her passing in September 2022 makes this year a historic first. King Charles intends to host a “less formal” and “less buttoned-up” holiday to honor the late Queen. In the style of his mother, his Christmas speech will be pre-recorded before airing on December 25.
The official RSVP list has not been released. Still, most royal family members will likely congregate at Sandringham this year—Queen Consort Camillia, the Prince and Princess of Wales, their children, Princess Anne, Prince Andrew, Prince Edward, Princess Beatrice, and Princess Eugenie. It is also rumored that Sarah Ferguson, Prince Andrew’s ex-wife, will attend for the first time in 30 years.
Christmas without Queen Elizabeth is a marked departure for the Windsors, who rarely deviate from the past. So how does Christmas usually go for the royals? It’s full of charades, black-tie dinners, presents (of the joke variety), and other festive formalities that are nothing short of fascinating. Below, a breakdown of the British royal family’s Christmas traditions.
Highly Coveted Holiday Cards
King Charles must practice his signature for his first Christmas as His Majesty. Every year, the Queen sent out a hefty 750 Christmas cards. It usually featured a family portrait and was signed off “Elizabeth R” (for “regina,” the Latin word for Queen) to politicians and heads of state, “Elizabeth” to friends, and her childhood nickname of “Lilibet” to her cousins. She would begin signing cards during her summer holiday in Balmoral. We know what you’re wondering: Who are the recipients on this all-important Christmas card list? Family, friends, members of The Royal Household, and some British and Commonwealth Prime Ministers, Governor-General, and High Commissions.
A Royal Gifting Extravaganza
The Queen was an expert in the gifting department. According to reports, she once personally oversaw her gift list and did all of the shopping herself, including visiting Harrods after-hours to select presents personally. In the lead-up to Christmas, Her Majesty would bequeath a gift to each member of the Royal Household, hand-delivering presents to those who had been extra nice that year. In keeping with a sweet tradition upheld by her father and grandfather, she also gifted pudding—a whopping 1,500 servings—to staff.
The Family Christmas Tree
Buckingham Palace features a trio of Christmas trees each year—a tradition Queen Victoria started in the 19th century. Famously, after an engraving depicting Queen Victoria, Prince Albert, and their children gathered around a Christmas tree at Windsor was published in the Illustrated London News in 1848, it inspired the general British public to decorate evergreens each December.
In a pre-pandemic world, Queen Elizabeth herself would put the finishing touches on the tree at Sandringham with the help of her grandchildren and great-grandchildren. And while Taylor Swift may think it’s rebellious to leave the decorations “up till January,” the Queen’s stayed lit well into February. Her father, George VI, passed away at Sandringham on February 6, 1952, and she honored his memory by keeping the trimmings up until then.
The Notorious Windsor Weigh-In
At the Queen’s request, each guest arriving at Sandringham would hop upon an antique weighing scale at the beginning and end of the festivities to ensure that everyone “enjoyed themselves”—that is, gained weight. What is surely one of the most eccentric royal holiday rituals dates back to the early 1900s when King Edward VII made sure his guests—who were instructed to sit on the same scale as they arrived and again when they left—gained weight after eating the 12- to 14-course meals served in the household. Per Vanity Fair, guests who ate enough and “enjoyed” themselves were expected to gain about three pounds. The Queen carried on the tradition; it reportedly horrified Princess Diana, as depicted in the 2021 film Spencer, starring Kristen Stewart.
Christmas Eve Gag-Gift Exchange
After a genteel afternoon tea on Christmas Eve, the royals exchange gag gifts. Before Prince Harry dated Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Cambridge gave him a “Grow Your Own Girlfriend” set. Meanwhile, Prince Harry once gifted his grandmother, the Queen, a shower cap with “Ain’t Life a B*tch!” printed on it. When Markle joined the family n 2017, she reportedly earned points when she gave Prince William a novelty spoon inscribed with “Cereal Killer.” It’s all done in good fun and good holiday cheer.
Eat, Drink, And Dress Royal
While the rest of us may spend the holidays in our pajamas and ugly Christmas sweaters, for the royals, there are rules and traditions governing when and how meals should be eaten, and what should be worn. There are formal dinners on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, complete with seating plans that decree no couples may not sit beside each other. The dress code is black-tie for men; full-length gowns, tiaras, and jewels for women.
In years’ past, the Queen’s attire dictated how guests could dress. “Once Her Majesty has chosen her dress for dinner, a handwritten notice is pinned up in the Dressers’ Corridor detailing what she will be wearing, so that the Queen’s ladies’ maids can select an appropriate dress for the lady they are looking after,” the Queen’s personal advisor and dresser, Angela Kelly, wrote in her book, The Other Side of the Coin. At dinner, the Queen’s favorite cocktail, the “Zaza,” would be served, which is ½ Dubonnet red, ½ dry gin, and garnished with orange zest.
A Festive Royal Fashion Show
On Christmas morning, the royal family members attend service at St. Mary Magdalene in Sandringham, giving the public a glimpse of their Christmas Day proper. The Queen undergoes several outfit changes on Christmas Day, and the ladies-in-waiting of other royals are responsible for ensuring that none of the guests clash with the Queen’s ensembles. Preparation is key. As Kelly wrote in her book: “I start to plan well in advance–around two months or so–checking to see what colors the Queen wore in previous years as I don’t want to repeat a color for a few years.” We’d expect nothing less from Her Majesty on this all-important holiday.
