12 Royal Family Christmas Traditions You Probably Didn't Know
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Just like every other family, the royals also have their own set of special Christmas traditions—including charades and pre-Christmas lunches.
Many of the royal family's Christmas traditions are centuries old, dating back to Victorian times. The royal family traditionally spends Christmas and New Year at Sandringham House, however Christmases during the sixties were celebrated at Windsor Castle, where the royal family spends Easter.
Things may look a little different in 2023, but here are some of the royal family Christmas traditions they have celebrated over the years.
They attend a Christmas Day church service
All members of the royal family attend the morning service on Christmas Day at St Mary Magdalene in Sandringham. The church dates back to the sixteenth century and was originally visited by Queen Victoria.
They send hundreds of Christmas cards
Each festive season the monarchs send hundreds of Christmas cards. According to the royal's official website, the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh would send around 750 Christmas cards, which featured a family photo, every year.
They have multiple Christmas trees
A tradition that goes back to the nineteenth century, when it was popularised by Queen Victoria, three fir trees are brought to the Marble Hall in Buckingham Palace each year.
In the past, the grandchildren and great-grandchildren would help to decorate one of the trees, as the Queen confirmed in her 2015 Christmas Speech.
The Queen would gift staff around 1,500 Christmas puddings
Queen Elizabeth II would gift around 1,500 members of staff—from those in the palaces, to those in the palace police and court post office—a Christmas pudding each year. This was a tradition that both her father, King George VI and her grandfather, George V, did before her.
They host Christmas parties
Members of the royal family are patrons to a number of different charities and during the festive season they throw Christmas parties to support the causes closest to their hearts.
In 2022, Queen Camilla served Christmas lunch to children that helped decorate the Christmas tree.
They gift Christmas trees across the country
As well as donating money to several charities in Windsor each Christmas, the queen would also gift Christmas trees across the U.K. From Westminster Abbey and St. Paul's Cathedral, to St. Giles's Cathedral and the Canongate Kirk in Edinburgh, churches and schools in the Sandringham area would also receive a tree from Her Majesty.
They have a Christmas luncheon the week before Christmas
The royal family gathers the week before Christmas for their annual Christmas luncheon.
Presents are exchanged on Christmas Eve
Gifts are exchanged on Christmas Eve, following Prince Albert's tradition. And as Prince Harry revealed in his memoir, Spare, gifts would be laid out on a "long table covered with white cloth and white name cards," ready for them to open after afternoon tea. This follows the German Christmas tradition.
They had a Christmas Eve kickaround
A royal Christmas tradition of years past would involve Princes William and Harry donning their football stripes for a festive kickaround on the Sandringham Estate on Christmas Eve alongside members of the staff.
We wonder if Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis will one day carry on the tradition?
They attend a black-tie dinner on Christmas Eve
The royal family also attends a black-tie dinner the night before Christmas.
The monarch's Christmas Day speech is pre-recorded
Even though we all gather around to tune into the monarch's Christmas Day speech, it is actually filmed a few weeks prior to the big day.
The Christmas speech was first broadcast via radio by King George V in 1932, while the Queen saw the transition from radio to TV during her reign.
They play a game of charades after Christmas lunch
The Windsors reportedly play a game of charades after Christmas lunch. Other activities include jigsaw puzzles or a movie projected onto a screen in the ballroom, according to Good Housekeeping.
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