Christmas at Sandringham will look different this year with certain senior royals and traditions out, and some new royal traditions being introduced by King Charles.
Notable absentees at the royal family’s traditional Christmas gathering will include Prince Harry and Meghan Markle (who will spend Christmas in Montecito) and Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, who has been banned from joining the royals this year after being stripped of his princely status.
But while the Andrew saga has been a headache for King Charles this year, it does mean more space at the Christmas table for other family members. Vanity Fair understands that Charles has extended invites to Queen Camilla’s children and their families, as well as his nieces Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie. (But according to Camilla’s son, Tom Parker Bowles, he and his sister Laura will not be spending Christmas at Sandringham.)
“Invitations went out months ago, and we do know the king loves a big family Christmas,” says Ingrid Seward, editor of Majesty magazine. “Last year, the queen’s children and grandchildren were invited, and that’s a new tradition the king has started.
“Beatrice was there last year. She then left after church and went for lunch with Sarah [Ferguson] and Andrew at Royal Lodge. I think the king has been keen to show his support to his nieces during a difficult year for the York family.”
While it’s not known where Andrew and Ferguson will be spending Christmas, they could be together at Royal Lodge for one final Christmas before Andrew has to leave his Windsor home.
Meanwhile, Prince William, Kate Middleton, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis are expected to join the king and queen at Sandringham. Prince Edward and Sophie, the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh, and their children, and Princess Anne and her family, are all also expected to attend.
“Sandringham is smaller than the other palaces and so it’s always a bit of a squash but it’s always fun and very Christmassy, and very family focused,” adds Seward.
“The king loves bringing everyone together and it’s a proper family Christmas. There’s a fair bit of juggling involved, particularly for the Wales family. I expect William, Kate and the children will be at Sandringham for the Christmas Day service alongside Charles because that’s an important show of togetherness. In previous years, they have gone back to Anmer after church on Christmas Day for lunch with Kate’s family so they get two Christmases.”
While the traditional Christmas Day walkabout after church sees the royals greeting members of the public in their finest (hats are a must), Charles has relaxed the dress code at Sandringham over the festive period, according to one royal insider.
“It used to be a nightmare going to Sandringham because there used to be so many outfit changes, sometimes up to six a day. But the king has relaxed that. There won’t be so many changes but everyone will wear black tie at Christmas dinner,” says the source.
In keeping with a long-standing tradition, the royal family’s Christmas dinner – turkey with all the trimmings – will take place on Christmas Eve. Presents will be laid out on trestle tables, with the Christmas table decked out with festive favors, like Christmas crackers.
“The trestle tables are set up and the presents all laid out with name badges. The children’s presents go under the tree, and there are always joke presents. One Christmas, Princess Anne once gave Charles a doormat, which got a laugh. Presents are always very practical. It’s probably a bit more lavish these days. Charles is very extravagant, rather like his late grandmother, the Queen Mother. The queen was pretty frugal,” the source adds.
And as well as gifts for family members, there will be gifts for the king’s household staff.
“He used to give a dinner service, matching plates, side plates and so on, but he would give bits of it at a time, so you would get the full collection if you stayed in service long enough.”
King Charles also continues his late mother’s tradition of gifting a Christmas pudding and if the staff is lucky, a turkey too. Charles also keeps the tradition of the family’s Boxing Day shoot in honor of Sandringham, which was originally built as a shooting estate.
But after Boxing Day, the king and queen will pack up and head to Scotland, as they did last year and in doing so, creating a new tradition of their own. “They have done this the past couple of years and it’s become one of their traditions now. They love to see the New Year in in Scotland,” Seward says.
Another tradition which has stuck is the family gathering around the television to watch the king’s Christmas speech on Christmas Day. The staff retire to their quarters, while the royals gather after lunch to watch King Charles address the nation.
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