Royals

From crystal to cufflinks, the Queen’s Christmas gifts to her staff

Dec 31, 2017

The Queen has handed out some treasures to her staff over the years. Source: Getty.

The Queen celebrates Christmas in true Royal-style every year – and she ensures her staff share it along with her too.

A few of the generous and elaborate gifts the monarch has handed out to her staff over the years have been revealed thanks to a collector of royal memorabilia.

Everything from a crystal bowl, to a silver-plated salt and pepper set in 2011 made the list from 2002 right through to 2015, and they’ve all been collected by Ian Shapiro, the Daily Mirror reports.

Each item is reportedly inscribed with the EIIR cypher and the year, and Shapiro claims the collection “reveals a degree of annual thought and imagination”.

The collection also includes a frame and photo from her 80th birthday year in 2006, a 2002 enamel box decorated with the royal coat of arms, and a Christmas pudding from Fortnum and Mason.

Meanwhile, more staff members received a cup from 2013, some Royal cufflinks, and an alarm clock from 2015.

The newspaper reports Her Majesty hands out the gifts in person, and they go to staff such as footmen at Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle and Sandringham.

According to the Royal Family website, the tradition of handing out puddings goes back through the generations, and each one is accompanied by a greetings card.

It comes after it was revealed the Royal family are hiring.

And for any chef who has dreamt of working in state-of-the-art kitchen preparing meals that are literally fit for a Queen, the recently advertised Demi Chef de Partie position could be the job of a lifetime.

According to the official job advertisement, which closes on New Year’s Day, the role is about “learning new techniques to deliver the oldest traditions. It’s being encouraged to learn new skills. And it’s helping to deliver extraordinary service in incredible surroundings.”

The Queen’s new chef will be expected to be able to prepare meals en masse and at speed, five days out of seven from Monday to Sunday, either at Buckingham Palace or other royal residences.

The lucky new hire will start on a salary of approximately $35,500 (£20,604.52) a year, including a 15 per cent employer-paid pension (superannuation) contribution. They’ll also get to live at Buckingham Palace, with meals included.