‘Tis the season for household gatherings, festive markets, cookie exchanges — and questioning precisely how these very well-off royals spend the vacations.
As it seems, the House of Windsor had greater than their share of quirky and downright uncommon Christmas traditions that may depart you scratching your head. From gut-busting gag presents and garlic bans to correct teacup etiquette and a moderately surprising before-and-after dinner weigh-in (sure, actually!), we’ve uncovered a few of the most weird “holiday commandments” the royal household adopted underneath the reign of Queen Elizabeth II.
Thou shalt… attend the annual vacation luncheon
Every week earlier than Christmas, Queen Elizabeth would host an annual luncheon at Buckingham Palace for her whole prolonged household — an unique visitor record that usually totals greater than 50 folks.
Although she delivered fancy invitations effectively upfront, woe betide anybody who declined the beneficiant provide to spend the afternoon balancing their tea cups whereas mingling with a slew of faces solely seen annually. Little else is understood concerning the top-secret occasion (no images was allowed), leaving royal watchers and the British tabloids speculating about what really went on behind these gilded gates.
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Thou shalt… spend Christmas at Sandringham
If you thought prepping a Christmas turkey in your vacation feast was anxious, how do you assume the royal cooks really feel? Christmas week at Sandringham House, on the grounds of what’s now King Charles’ Norfolk property, is an absolute must-attend — though the uncommon exception is typically granted.
Once upon a time, shut household wouldn’t be allowed to spend Christmas away from Sandringham. Just ask Diana, Princess of Wales, who by no means obtained to spend the massive day together with her Spencer clan. In current years, nonetheless, the queen allowed for some wiggle room, letting Prince William and Duchess Kate go to the Middleton household in 2014.
See additionally: 10 weird guidelines royal youngsters should to comply with.
Thou shalt… purchase gag-worthy presents
Set apart any preconceived notions you may need as to the forms of presents the Royal Family purchase each other through the holidays. As it seems, it’s all a couple of good gag. On Christmas Eve, the Windsors lay out their presents on a desk and change them over piping sizzling cups of tea.
The theme? Cheap, cheerful and full-out hilarious.
That’s proper — as a solution to lower unfastened and keep away from flaunting their wealth, the Royal Family buys one another gag presents as a substitute of pricy objects. A number of years again, Kate famously purchased the then-single Harry a “Grow Your Own Girlfriend” equipment whereas the prince allegedly purchased his beloved granny a bathe cap with “Ain’t Life a B*tch” printed throughout the highest.
Oh, to have been a fly on the wall when the queen opened that present.
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Thou shalt… stroll to church on Christmas morning
It’s one thing of an annual custom for the Norfolk locals to line the streets resulting in St. Mary Magdalene church on the Sandringham property to catch a glimpse of the Royal Family as they stroll to attend the Christmas morning service.
The Windsor clan — minus the little kiddos — walks your entire means, greeting royal watchers alongside the trail, except for the queen, who would arrive promptly on the church door through automotive.
The 2017 service, particularly, was a biggie for royal followers because it was the primary time the not-yet-a-duchess Meghan curtsied to the queen in public. Naturally, it was dissected by information retailers for days afterward. A number of issues the previous actor wanted to recollect: curtsies ought to by no means graze the ground; you merely put one leg behind the opposite, permit for a delicate bend on the knees and bow your head barely. (Markle nailed it, for the file.)
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Thou shalt… all the time gown formally
This shouldn’t actually come as a shock, however it nonetheless must be mentioned: there’s no lounging round in PJs — not even on Christmas morning. (Our sympathies exit to the little ones — George, Charlotte and Louis.) The whole household is predicted to be dressed and prepared for all of the Christmas Day festivities, from the morning church service to the formal night dinner. Modesty first, whereas nonetheless being trendy.
See additionally: From heels to hats: 10 style guidelines the royals should comply with.
Thou shalt… be weighed earlier than and after dinner
This isn’t a joke, pals. According to royal professional and Majesty editor-in-chief, Ingrid Stewart, each Royal Family member is weighed earlier than and after their Christmas dinner. (We’ll provide you with a second to let that sink in.) It’s apparently a convention that dates again to the early 1900s through the reign of King Edward VII who, as a means of figuring out whether or not or not his friends had been sufficiently fed, requested all of them to step on the dimensions.
Given the truth that the Windsors take pleasure in three big meals all through Christmas Day, the dimensions appears greater than a bit of extreme. Some traditions simply don’t age effectively.
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Parlez-vous français?
The queen was extremely fluent in French and most well-liked for it for use throughout all formal dinner events. That meant, the Christmas dinner menu was supposedly printed in French, as effectively. No phrase on whether or not Kate or Meghan had been aware of the language once they spent their first Christmas with the royals.
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Thou shalt not… eat garlic
We’ve all obtained these meals or seasonings we merely can’t stand, be it on account of style or texture. Queen Elizabeth, nonetheless, had one intense dislike that additionally occurred to be a typical cooking ingredient: garlic. As former royal chef John Higgins informed the National Post in 2016, “they’re missing out on garlic because, at Buckingham Palace, you don’t cook with garlic. I suppose, in case you get the ‘royal burp.’” The actual cause, in accordance with experiences? The queen hated the scent.
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Thou shalt… stop to eat as soon as Her Majesty is finished
One of the good issues about being a queen is that, in terms of meals, you set the tempo. During meals, when Queen Elizabeth had taken her final chew, she reportedly would quietly put down her fork and everybody else must comply with her lead, whether or not or not they had been really completed with their meals. We think about this will need to have been a wrestle for almost all of her friends.
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Thou shalt… fold thy napkins in half
When on the desk, napkins should be folded in half always to keep away from ugly stains and meals bits. Royals are anticipated to softly wipe their mouths and arms contained in the fold of their napkins. To do in any other case would danger soiled garments — gasp! — and gross napkins colored in a wide range of less-than-appetizing meals stains. Out of sight, out of thoughts.
Thou shalt not… play Monopoly
During the vacation break, the royals would take pleasure in rousing video games of charades. Queen Elizabeth beloved it a lot that nobody else could be allowed to retire from the room till she was completed enjoying. But there’s one sport, particularly, that was strictly prohibited — Monopoly.
Yes, that board sport the place you gather actual property and “get out of jail free” playing cards. The cause? In the previous, it’s gotten too aggressive and heated so the queen had it banished. What we wish to know is who the responsible occasion was.
Thou shalt… use utensils correctly
The majority of us commoners don’t usually spend time dwelling on how we lower into our meals throughout a meal, however the royals take their eating etiquette very, very critically. Regardless of whether or not you’re right-handed or left-handed, knives should be held together with your proper and forks together with your left (with the tines going through down, in fact). It doesn’t finish there: when you’ve lower off a chunk of meals, it should be balanced on the again of the fork, as a substitute of poked by way of with the tines.
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Thou shalt… comply with the chief
Entrances are an necessary issue within the Windsor household hierarchy, and the Orders of Precedence pecking order is nailed all the way down to a precise science. The procession, naturally, used to start with the queen and would proceed so as of these subsequent in line to the throne. For instance, previous to his demise in April 2021, Prince Philip by no means entered a room alongside his spouse — he all the time trailed behind her by a couple of paces throughout all public and formal occasions.
Now, King Charles would be the head of the pack.
Thou shalt… drink tea accurately
Yes, there’s an accurate solution to maintain a teacup and saucer — and, sure, which means you’ve in all probability been doing it incorrect. As etiquette professional Myka Meier informed People, a royal is predicted to make use of their thumb and index finger to carry the highest of the deal with, with the center finger gently supporting the underside of the cup. Keep these pinkies tucked in! In addition, the ladies have an additional rule to abide by — one should sip from the very same spot to keep away from lipstick stains across the rim.
Related: Prince Harry is able to spill (extra) tea with new memoir.
Thou shalt not… take down Christmas decor till February
Although most of Queen Elizabeth’s friends would begin to depart Sandringham House after Boxing Day, the queen reportedly continued with the festive feels till the second week of February. Although this might sound odd to some, there’s really a extremely poignant cause behind the queen’s want to maintain the tree and tinsel up for an additional month and a half.
Her father, King George VI, handed away on Feb. 6, 1952, and it was her means of remembering him through the vacation season earlier than she would head again to London for the yr.
