The past year has brought tough challenges. The royal family – But in one A period of change and uncertaintytheir Christmas celebrations Be comfortable and calm.
Tradition is the cornerstone of Christmas with Windsor, with routines and festive activities remaining the same for decades – even when Faces change around the dinner table.
will be on this year’s guest list. King, The queenthe The Prince and Princess of Wales. and their children, Anne, Princess Royal and her family, as well as the Earl and Countess of Wessex and their children.
Notably absent will be the Duke of York, who, as his ex-wife has assured, Sarah FergusonNot attending the festivities to save Charles the awkwardness of not being invited after his affair with an alleged Chinese spy came to light.
The late Queen Elizabeth II had hosted every Christmas at the family’s country estate in Norfolk since 1998 – a tradition her son King Charles continued into his first years as monarch.
The royal family usually leave their respective residences before Christmas to visit Sandringham House, the Queen’s longtime estate in Norfolk.
The 29 bedroom estate spread over 20,000 acres has a rich history within the family, the house was originally built in 1870 by Queen Victoria for her son Prince Albert Edward, who later became King Edward VII.
Once they all arrive, they meet in the white drawing room of the house to decorate the Christmas tree and, acknowledging the family’s German heritage, they open their Christmas presents.
Prince Harry discussed the royal family’s Christmas traditions in his 2023 memoir, Spare: “We were in a large room at Sandringham with a long table covered with a white cloth and white name cards. As we wished, early in the night, each of us in our place, our mounds of gifts. stood in front of. Then, all at once, a free-for-all, with several family members talking and pulling bows and tearing the paper.
They then change and enjoy a black-tie dinner before the next day’s important events.
Christmas morning begins in a low-key way, with everyone in the family waking up to stockings filled with small gifts, including fruit.
They will then begin their annual, and high-profile, walk to the morning church service in the chapel at the Church of St Mary Magdalene, Sandringham Grounds, where royal fans attend the service. They gather to watch.
On Christmas Day afternoon, the royal family will enjoy their traditional lunch and may sit down to watch Charles deliver his Christmas message to the nation, before the family is reportedly treated to an evening of charades. play
The festivities continue the next day, as the family embarks on their traditional Boxing Day hunt.