Kate Middleton’s favourite boozy game, 70 guests for lunch & cheap gifts – Inside the Royal Christmas at Sandringham
At Christmas, the royal family frequently hosts posh black tie dinners, champagne parties, and a three-course organic turkey feast.
Although Sandringham’s festivities are typically lavish, the royal family also enjoys having a good time with some entertaining, maybe typical party activities.
According to royal historian Jennie Bond, the Princess of Wales frequently starts the drinking activities, including beer pong, while the family, especially the younger members, enjoy playing a football game on Christmas Eve every year.
“I think things have loosened up a bit since the late Queen’s reign, and while a lot of the family traditions will remain, things are a bit more relaxed and informal than before with the King and Queen Consort as hosts,” Jennie, a royal correspondent for over 35 years, told Fabulous.
Here, we examine what the royal family’s normal Christmas at Sandringham entails.
Stately surroundings
For many decades, the royal family has celebrated Christmas at Sandringham, which is situated on 20,000 acres of land in Norfolk.
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With the exception of 2020 and 2021, when arrangements were canceled owing to COVID, the late Queen spent almost all of her Christmases at the majestic estate.
The King has continued the practice since her death in 2022, spending the last two years entertaining his family at the estate that was purchased for Edward VII in 1862.
With a ballroom, dining room, little drawing room, white drawing room, piano room, library, rifle room, the Great Saloon, and billiard room, Sandringham is so large that its actual number of rooms is unknown, but it is thought to be between 100 and 200.
A royal kick around
Jennie claims that until their split, Prince William and Prince Harry had a new family custom of playing football on Christmas Eve with staff members.
According to Jennie, Team Harry wore Arsenal gear at the time, while Team William supposedly donned socks from Aston Villa.
This custom might have been abandoned in Harry’s absence, or it might be practiced now with William’s kids, who all adore football. Many members of the family will be outside playing games with the kids or taking a walk if the weather isn’t too cold.
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Exchanging gifts
When giving Christmas presents, the royals display their lighthearted sense of humor. The royals purchase unique gifts for one another instead of pricey jewelry and technological gadgets.
According to Jennie, the goal is to purchase inexpensive, clever gifts. The purpose of the gifts is to make people laugh, not to be costly.
Princess Anne famously gave her older brother Charles a leather toilet seat, while Kate once gave Harry a Grow Your Own girlfriend kit when he was unmarried.
In the meantime, it has been revealed that the Prince of Wales once presented his late grandmother, the Queen, with a pair of slippers featuring her face.
According to Jennie, the family has followed the German custom of opening these presents on Christmas Eve for many years.
Around teatime, they unwrap their gifts, which are all arranged on a long table with a white tablecloth.
“Every gift pile has a name attached, and Prince Harry claims that everyone begins tearing open their presents at the designated time!
Black tie dinner
The royal family prepares for the black tie supper on Christmas Eve after exchanging gifts at 4 p.m.
According to Jennie, Christmas Eve is when Sandringham’s celebrations really get going.
A martini reception usually opens the adults-only event, which is followed by a four-course dinner that frequently includes a course of beef.
A cheese board and chocolate, the late Queen’s favorite, are frequently served for dessert.
In his autobiography Spare, Prince Harry described how the family eats at a “long table covered with white cloth and white name cards.”
A festive feast
Jennie claims that Sandringham always has a ton of amazing food.
While some women prefer a light meal, like fruit, which is served in their room, males at Sandringham begin Christmas morning with full, prepared breakfasts in the dining room.
Lunch, which is served at 1pm, is very conventional, according to Jennie, and includes an organic Norfolk turkey and all the fixings. Or rather, a number of turkeys for the workers in their quarters, the younger kids and nannies in the nursery, and the grownups in the dining area. According to Mike Tindall, there may be as many as 70 people attending the lunch.
The joyous feast doesn’t stop there. The family returns for tea after spending some time outside, which often consists of sandwiches, scones, chocolate Yule log, and Christmas cake, before an evening buffet.
According to Jennie, they somehow manage to fit in a delicious buffet dinner, frequently featuring an entire Stilton with the top removed and port poured in.
Games night
The royal family enjoys playing a variety of games on Christmas Eve evenings, but one well-known board game gets left out!
Monopoly is prohibited, so don’t recommend playing it! “Jennie says.” According to the royal expert, the late Queen felt it was too violent, therefore the royals would rather play charades, which is a favorite royal game.
She adds that they also play a card game called Racing Demon, which can be fiercely competitive. Specifically, Catherine enjoys playing card games with her own family.
However, playing beer pong appears to be the highlight of Royal Games Night.
According to Jennie, Mike claimed that Catherine was really competitive at the drinking game, so we know she enjoys it. Maybe some members of the family have established a brand-new Sandringham Christmas custom!
Staff gifts
At Sandringham, Christmas is not just celebrated by the family; the employees are also invited. Every employee receives a present from the King in addition to a Christmas lunch.
Long before December 25th, when all Palace employees are asked if they would prefer a book token or a gift token as a present, Jennie adds, thoughts shift to Christmas.
In the week leading up to the big day, the King gives each the gift of their choice.
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Additionally, it has long been customary to give a Christmas pudding to every devoted employee.
Jennie clarifies, George V established the custom of the monarch distributing hundreds of Christmas puddings to all members of the Household, as well as to the Court post office and police.
Inside the Royal Family s extravagant Christmas Eve celebrations
The Royal Family usually gets together on Christmas Eve to begin the festivities, according to SARAH Hewson, royal journalist at Talk TV.
The small royals—George, Charlotte, Louis, and Camilla’s grandchildren—will assist in completing the tree’s decoration, she continued.
As a German custom brought about by Prince Albert, the royal family and all of their guests will then lay their presents on a trestle table in the crimson drawing room and open them during tea time.
Additionally, there aren’t any jewels under the tree, unlike what one might assume when considering a royal Christmas.
According to reports, Meghan gave the Queen a singing hamster for her first Christmas at Sandringham, and Kate once gave Harry a Grow Your Own girlfriend kit when he was single.
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