Feasting is also the order of the day for the British royals at Christmas. Despite the lavish celebrations, the Windsors have a strange custom. It goes to the weigh-in.
Sandringham – Lovingly wrapped gifts, a festively decorated Christmas tree and a table full of deliciously steaming delicacies: for many, these are the ingredients for the perfect Christmas celebration. Even the British royals around King Charles III (74) spend the holidays with their loved ones, give each other very personal presents and feast together by candlelight.
Traditional country food: Royals leave London for Christmas
In order to escape the hustle and bustle of London, the royal family does not spend Christmas at Buckingham Palace, but at their country estate Sandringham House in the county of Norfolk. The last two years, these festivities had to be canceled due to corona, in 2022 King Charles III. but his family returned to the tree-lined property, as Royals expert Emily Andrews said Grazia betrayed. If it is not until the morning of December 25th in the rest of the country, the gift will already be given the evening before – after all, the royals have a lot planned for Christmas Day.
As is tradition in the UK, British royals head out for church around noon on Christmas Day and then meet up for a classic Christmas dinner, as Royals author Ingrid Seward tells us Grazia explained.
After entering the dining room in hierarchical order, a turkey arrives on the table – commonly served with roasted potatoes, Brussels sprouts and blackcurrant sauce. After opening the Christmas crackers (“Christmas Crackers”), a walk and cake, a candlelight dinner follows in the evening to bring the day to a fitting close.
What are the royals getting for Christmas?
While one would expect more serious gifts such as ties, jewelry or porcelain figurines under the royals’ Christmas tree, the members of the British royal family like to think of special gifts on Christmas Eve. Meghan Markle (41) gave her brother-in-law Prince William (40) a spoon with the inscription “Muesli Killer” on their first Christmas together, and Kate Middleton (40) presented Queen Elizabeth II with a glass of homemade chutney. Prince Harry (38), on the other hand, once gave his grandmother a singing plastic fish and a shower cap with the phrase “Ain’t Life AB***h”.
(Source: hellomagazine.com)
Decades-old custom: Royals have to be weighed at Christmas
Worship and feasting should also be on the agenda for most families, but a particularly quirky Christmas tradition is likely to be found only in the reverent halls of Sandringham House. Because all royal guests have to be weighed on an antique measuring device before and after the extensive feasting on the holidays. According to Ingrid Seward, this custom was said to have been started by King Edward VII, who sat on the throne from 1901 to 1910, to ensure that everyone present had enough to eat, and it continues to this day.
After the death of Queen Elizabeth II († 96) on September 8, the first Christmas without the monarch should not have been an easy time for her relatives. But at least the whole family could get together for the first time in two years and pay tribute to the regent – even if Prince Harry and Meghan Markle declined the invitation. According to Emily Andrews, “a missed opportunity to try to mend family relationships”. Meanwhile, King Charles III broke. at his first Christmas speech with a tradition from the Queen. Sources used: grazia.co.uk, hellomagazine.com
