This Christmas, the Queen is celebrating her first festive vacation since her husband, Prince Philip, handed away in April.
Whereas the annual pre-Christmas lunch for prolonged relations was cancelled this week because of the fast unfold of the Omicron Covid-19 variant, the Queen continues to be anticipated to have fun the vacation with some members of her household — however not at her Sandringham Property as per custom.
Earlier this week, Buckingham Palace confirmed that Her Majesty will spend Christmas and New 12 months at Windsor Fort as an alternative of travelling to her dwelling in Norfolk because the household often would.
On 23 December, Clarence Home confirmed that the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall will likely be with the Queen at Windsor on Christmas Day this yr.
The choice is claimed to be a precautionary method, after the Queen suffered a well being setback in October. The royal household is anticipated to go to the Queen at Windsor the place Covid-friendly tips will likely be adopted.
That is the second yr in a row the Queen has spent Christmas at Windsor Fort, as she and Prince Philip remoted there as England was put into lockdown final Christmas.
However what does a typical Christmas appear like for the royal household? Right here’s what the Windsor’s often stand up to over the festive interval…
Driving dwelling for Christmas
First off, the Queen heads to Sandringham every week earlier than the precise day. Quite than take the dearer personal royal prepare from London, the Queen prefers to take over a carriage of a traditional scheduled King’s Cross to King’s Lynn prepare — one thing she’s usually been pictured doing.
As soon as there, the relations who’re invited to affix them arrive on Christmas Eve — with every unit allotted a particular time to reach as Her Majesty doesn’t need everybody turning up without delay.
Based on Tatler, arrival occasions mirror standing inside the household, with junior members arriving first and essentially the most senior members final.
Royal biographer, Ingrid Seward admitted the Duchess of Cambridge, Kate Middleton, was “terrified” of her first royal Christmas.
Festive footy and presents
Based on royal Christmas traditions, the Duke of Cambridge, Prince William, and Duke of Sussex, Prince Harry (earlier than he moved to the US) would usually play a really aggressive sport of Christmas Eve soccer towards the workers at Sandringham. Principally they play on opposing groups, however every now and then they play on the identical aspect.
After kicking up a sweat the royals adhere to a German Christmas custom launched by Prince Albert, by exchanging their presents on Christmas Eve.
The official Royal web site states: “On Christmas Eve, the royal household lay out their presents on trestle tables and can change their presents at teatime.”
All members of The Royal Family additionally obtain Christmas presents from the Queen, with Her Majesty personally handing out presents to some members of The Royal Family at Buckingham Palace and at Windsor Fort.
Christmas Eve feast
All the household sit down for a proper Christmas Eve dinner, the place all company are anticipated to put on black-tie or night robes.
Based on the Channel 5 documentary, it is a six-course, candle-lit meal, with the menu usually written in French.
For dessert, former royal chef Darren McGrady mentioned the household would tuck into a standard Yuletide Log coated in a chocolate ganache because the Queen “loves chocolate.”
Christmas morning
Like most of us, the Queen is up on the break of day on Christmas Day, however to not rip open her presents.
Yearly Her Majesty is pushed to St Mary Magdalene Church at Sandringham — a rustic church visited by the Queen’s nice nice grandmother, Queen Victoria — to obtain Communion privately.
At 11am sharp, the remainder of the group be a part of her and a whole lot of thought goes into Her Majesty’s Christmas outfit.
Based on Angela Kelly, the Queen’s official dresser who printed a e-book on the topic in 2019, The Different Aspect of the Coin: The Queen, The Dresser and the Wardrobe, there are a number of outfit modifications that happen on Christmas Day — and the preparations start months prematurely.
Within the e-book, Kelly reveals: “The Queen is simply as busy as she can be in London, with extra company to entertain.
“There could also be a number of outfit modifications in at some point – it may very well be as many as 5 and even as much as seven, though that’s uncommon – relying on the variety of engagements, in addition to the climate and temperature, which may change so rapidly round Sandringham.”
Christmas lunch match for a Queen
Christmas Day wouldn’t be the identical with no huge lunch, and the royals aren’t any completely different.
Their turkey dinner inevitably consists of shrimp or lobster salad starter, adopted by, in fact, roasted turkey and all of the trimmings.
For pudding it’s a standard Christmas pudding with brandy butter and — persevering with the custom from her father, King George VI and her grandfather, George V – The Queen additionally provides Christmas puddings to her workers.
Based on the official royal web site, about 1,500 Christmas puddings paid for by the Queen (via the Privy Purse) are distributed to workers all through the Palaces, together with the Courtroom Publish Workplace and the Palace police. Every pudding is accompanied by a greeting card from the Queen, which is hand-signed.
The Queen’s Speech
The Queen’s Christmas Message, which is broadcast to the 52 states within the Commonwealth, has been a operating custom for 88 years.
Again when it originated in 1932, it was known as the King’s Christmas Message after King George V, who was the primary monarch to broadcast this speech on the radio.
The speech is now pre-recorded a couple of weeks earlier than Christmas and televised yearly at 3pm on the BBC, ITV, Sky 1 and Sky Information.
Even the royal household will sit down to look at Her Majesty’s message on the tv, adopted by charades and social gathering video games.
The large Boxing Day shoot
It’s a divisive occasion that’s a long-standing custom for the royal household.
On Boxing Day every year, the royals collect for the annual Boxing Day pheasant shoot on the Norfolk property.
Kaynak: briturkish.com