The King of England typically spends Christmas and the New Year with the Royal Family at Sandringham House in Norfolk, a tradition maintained by King Charles III from his mother, Queen Elizabeth II. The family gathers at the private country estate, which has been a traditional royal holiday location for over 160 years, featuring a walk to church at St Mary Magdalene on Christmas morning.
Every year, the British royal family descends upon Sandringham Estate to visit one another and celebrate the holiday together. Their first event is on Christmas Eve, when guests enjoy afternoon tea at Sandringham Saloon, per Reader's Digest. That night, they have a black-tie dinner.
While the Palace grounds are not publicly accessible for holiday celebrations, the royal family continues a number of festive traditions behind its gates. Following a long-standing custom, the Monarch personally gives Christmas presents to members of the Royal Household at both Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle.
What does the British royal family do on Christmas Day?
Since 1988, their celebrations have been held at the monarch's country estate in Norfolk, per the royal family's official website. The presents are laid out on trestle tables, with an exchange occurring at teatime. Then on Christmas Day, the family takes their walk to attend morning services at St.
The Royal Family goes to Sandringham for Christmas because it's a long-standing tradition started by King Edward VII in the 1870s, offering a private estate for festive gatherings, with Queen Elizabeth II solidifying it as the main royal Christmas spot after Windsor Castle needed rewiring in the late 1980s, establishing a unique blend of family time, German-influenced gift-giving (Christmas Eve), and public interaction via a Christmas Day church service walkabout.
King Charles, Queen Camilla, the Prince and Princess of Wales, and more royals attended church this morning together. Each December, the British royal family gathers at Sandringham for Christmas.
Kate and Prince William eat breakfast separately on Christmas Day due to a long-standing royal tradition where the men have a hearty breakfast downstairs while the women eat lighter meals in their rooms to allow more time for hair and makeup before the heavily photographed church service, a custom revealed by former royal chef Darren McGrady, though they dine together for other meals.
Female members of the royal family should never reveal their cleavage. Princess Diana wore dresses with exposed cleavage on occasion, but she cleverly concealed it with a clutch. Skirts and dresses should be knee-length or three to four inches above the knee. This is approximately 7 to 10 centimeters above the knee.
The British Royal Family enjoys a very traditional Christmas dinner, centered around roasted turkey with all the trimmings, including roast and mashed potatoes, stuffing (sage & onion or chestnut), Brussels sprouts with bacon, carrots, and cranberry/bread sauces, followed by Christmas pudding with brandy sauce. Later, there's an elaborate evening buffet with cold meats, cheeses, and chocolates, and often an afternoon tea with Christmas cake and Yule log before the main lunch.
The King and Queen meet thousands of people each year in the UK and overseas. Before meeting Their Majesties, many people ask how they should behave. The simple answer is that there are no obligatory codes of behaviour - just courtesy. However, many people wish to observe the traditional forms of greeting.
The British Royal Family avoids the word "toilet," preferring "loo" or "lavatory," often due to the word's French origins, with "lavatory" being more formal and "loo" common in general conversation, while older terms like "close stool" were used historically for portable commodes. They also use other refined terms like "scent" for perfume and "helping" for food portions, avoiding more common, "working-class" words.
Salaries for jobs at Buckingham Palace and the wider Royal Household vary significantly by role, from around £19,000 for entry-level positions like Summer Wardens or £20k for a Groom (with accommodation) to £40,000+ for coordination roles, and even £55,000-£60,000 for senior project managers, with lower-paid roles often including housing/meals in exchange for salary adjustments. Salaries aim for the London Living Wage, but some roles have faced criticism for being low relative to UK median earnings, although perks like accommodation or meals can offset costs.
The prince purchased the estate in 1862, the year after the premature death of his father. He paid £220,000 for a 29 bedroom mansion dating from the early 1770s and 5,500 acres of land.
What did Meghan Markle and Prince Harry do for Christmas?
She told readers the festivities would include “pajamas all day, some Scrabble or Sequence (or Candyland for the kids), music playing, candles flickering, dogs snoring, endless grazing; the laughter, the sidebars, the deep breaths (you know the ones), the fun, and the memories.”
Darren McGrady, a former royal chef who worked for the Queen for 15 years, says that he was always instructed to serve a traditional Christmas meal of turkey and all the trimmings. 'The turkey is served with mashed and roast potatoes, chestnut or sage and onion stuffing, cranberry sauce and bread sauce.
Seward explained that the practice is done on a pair of antique scales. It dates back to Edward VII's Christmas festivities, as the king wanted a way to ensure his guests had their fill and had ideally gained three pounds, per Elle Decor. Queen Elizabeth II after she recorded her annual Christmas Day message in 2018.
The simple offering is also beloved by Meghan Markle and Prince Harry. Royal expert and biographer Katie Nicholl discussed the Prince of Wales's meal of choice, writing in Vanity Fair, "In the evenings [Kate] indulges her hobby of cooking William's favorite supper, roast chicken."
The Queen has a bath every morning, drawn by her maid while she sips a cup of tea. It's believed that the royals prefer to avoid taking showers, due to their belief that they're for members of the working class.
Kate Middleton, the Princess of Wales, announced in March 2024 that she was diagnosed with cancer after undergoing abdominal surgery in January of that year; tests revealed the presence of cancer, leading her to begin preventative chemotherapy, which she completed in the summer of 2024, and she has since been focusing on recovery and gradually returning to public duties, though the specific type and stage of cancer remain private.
