Families right around the world enjoy decades-old traditions on Christmas Day, whether it’s a classic family dinner, gathering around the tree to share gifts or embarking on a country walk together.
And while the royal family are no different in that they partake in all the usual traditions, they are also rumoured to have their own set of bizarre and very strict rules for the festive celebrations at Sandringham.
From weighing in on a set of scales before and after their stay, to exchanging gag gifts on Christmas Eve and honouring a stringent seating plan, royal insiders have let slip some incredible practices and traditions shared by the Queen and her relatives over the years.
Here are a few of the customs you may not have known existed.
One of the most surprising rumours about the royals’ Christmas traditions emerged earlier this year, when royal expert and editor in chief of Majesty magazine, Ingrid Seward, opened up in a tell-all magazine article about exactly what happens behind closed doors at Sandringham.
Speaking to Grazia, she claimed each royal family member is weighed on an old set of scales as they arrive and as they leave, in a tradition that dates back centuries to the reign of Edward VII.
Seward told the mag the King introduced the practice to ensure his guests had eaten well and enjoyed their stay with him, but it’s unclear if it’s still carried out with the same goal now.
A highlight of Christmas for many Aussie families is sharing funny presents with relatives and perhaps even pulling the odd prank – and the royals are no different.
Rather than wait until Christmas Day, they instead exchange presents the day before over afternoon tea – and there are always some jokey gifts creeping in there.
The Queen’s nephew Viscount Linley previously described the gift giving every year as “total uproar”, while, former Royal Chef Darren McGrady told People in 2013 of the presents: “The crazier and the more quirky is what they love.”
According to Grazia, Prince Harry once gave the Queen a shower cap that read “ain’t life a bitch”. Meanwhile, in 2017, Meghan is claimed to have given the Queen a singing hamster as her first gag gift – and it reportedly went down a treat.
“Meghan bought a little hamster that sings with a little rope for Her Majesty,” a source told the Daily Star at the time. “It was so funny, especially when the corgis tried to take hold of the toy.”
But perhaps the funniest present to have exchanged hands over the years was between Catherine and her brother-in-law Prince Harry. The Mirror previously claimed she gave him a grow-your-own-girlfriend kit before he settled down with Meghan.
And the news outlet claimed Princess Anne has got in on the action in the past too, buying her brother Prince Charles a white leather toilet seat.
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After the fun of the gifts is over, the royals reportedly retire to get dressed up for a fancy evening meal together – with royal protocol once again taking centre stage. Seward previously told Grazia of the evening celebrations: “Then it will be time for some lethal martinis and a black-tie dinner.”
While the afternoon is more relaxed, the royal expert claimed the Queen has a strict seating plan for the evening – which usually alternates between men and women around the table.
Christmas Day returns to more familiar traditions for the royals, as – just like many families around the world – they start the day with breakfast followed by an early church service nearby, where the Queen takes communion.
It was previously claimed by Good Housekeeping that the initial service is followed shortly after by a second one at the church of St Mary Magdalene for public worship at 11am.
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Following church and a walk, the royals then sit down for a traditional family dinner together, usually including a roast turkey with all the trimmings.
According to Good Housekeeping, McGrady previously revealed: “After church, that’s when they have a big lunch that includes a salad with shrimp or lobster, and a roasted turkey, and all of your traditional side dishes like parsnips, carrots, Brussels sprouts and Christmas pudding with brandy butter for dessert. They stick with the same meal year after year.”
While the dinner is fairly formal, the Queen reportedly gets into the spirit of things alongside her family members as she pulls crackers while they all don paper hats.
Seward told Grazia of the occasion: “After lunch, the crackers are pulled. Paper hats are donned, but not by the Queen.”
He claimed that once dinner is over, they sit down together to watch the Queen’s annual Christmas speech – with Her Majesty there beside them throughout.
It has become a moving and loving tradition over the years for the Queen and her husband Prince Philip to stay at Sandringham until early February, in memory of her late father George VI who died there on February 6, 1952.
While most families stick to tradition and take their decorations down in early January, Architectural Digest previously reported that the royal decorations stay in place until the Queen leaves in February.