The Queen Gives All of Her Employees the Same Christmas Gift Every Year
It’s the end of the year, which means it’s time for awkward office holiday parties, secret Santa gift trades, and weird presents from your boss. Unless of course you work for the Queen of England.
According to insiders, the Queen is an excellent boss when it comes to holiday gift giving. She’s also a creature of habit, as each year she gives all 1,500 members of the royal staff the same gift: Christmas pudding.
Related: It's Official: Meghan Markle Will Spend Christmas With the Queen
As the palace itself revealed, the tradition of giving Christmas pudding was actually started by the Queen’s grandfather, George V, and continued by her father, King George VI. Each pudding, the palace noted, is accompanied by a greeting card from the Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh.
So where do they get the puddings from? According to the Daily Mail, the family once ordered them from specialty retailers like Harrods or Fortnum & Mason, but now favor ordinary retailers. She does, after all, pay for each pudding out of her personal pocket. This year, Hello! claims the family purchased Tesco's Finest Matured Christmas Pudding.
Related: 15 Gifts Any Fan of the Royal Family Will Love
But just because you’re not a member of the royal staff doesn’t mean you need to miss out on this delicious holiday tradition. Luckily for all of us, People dug up the royal recipe, which includes raisins, currants, beef suet, dark beer, dark rum, brandy, and plenty of sugar. Seriously, don’t go light on the booze when making this dish. For her final touch, People reported that the queen likes to “[pour] brandy over the top using a silver brandy holder and light it.”
Beyond puddings, the Queen and the rest of the royal family make sure to give back to their community during the holidays by donating money to several charities in Windsor each Christmas. According to the palace, the Queen also gives Christmas trees each year to Westminster Abbey, St. Paul's Cathedral, St. Giles' Cathedral, and the Canongate Kirk in Edinburgh.
And, like all good grandmothers and great grandmothers, the Queen also gets involved in the family’s annual gag gift exchange, which can sometimes get downright naughty.
It’s the end of the year, which means it’s time for awkward office holiday parties, secret Santa gift trades, and weird presents from your boss. Unless of course you work for the Queen of England.
According to insiders, the Queen is an excellent boss when it comes to holiday gift giving. She’s also a creature of habit, as each year she gives all 1,500 members of the royal staff the same gift: Christmas pudding.
Related: It's Official: Meghan Markle Will Spend Christmas With the Queen
As the palace itself revealed, the tradition of giving Christmas pudding was actually started by the Queen’s grandfather, George V, and continued by her father, King George VI. Each pudding, the palace noted, is accompanied by a greeting card from the Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh.
So where do they get the puddings from? According to the Daily Mail, the family once ordered them from specialty retailers like Harrods or Fortnum & Mason, but now favor ordinary retailers. She does, after all, pay for each pudding out of her personal pocket. This year, Hello! claims the family purchased Tesco's Finest Matured Christmas Pudding.
Related: 15 Gifts Any Fan of the Royal Family Will Love
But just because you’re not a member of the royal staff doesn’t mean you need to miss out on this delicious holiday tradition. Luckily for all of us, People dug up the royal recipe, which includes raisins, currants, beef suet, dark beer, dark rum, brandy, and plenty of sugar. Seriously, don’t go light on the booze when making this dish. For her final touch, People reported that the queen likes to “[pour] brandy over the top using a silver brandy holder and light it.”
Beyond puddings, the Queen and the rest of the royal family make sure to give back to their community during the holidays by donating money to several charities in Windsor each Christmas. According to the palace, the Queen also gives Christmas trees each year to Westminster Abbey, St. Paul's Cathedral, St. Giles' Cathedral, and the Canongate Kirk in Edinburgh.
And, like all good grandmothers and great grandmothers, the Queen also gets involved in the family’s annual gag gift exchange, which can sometimes get downright naughty.
