Christmas with the crown: how will Queen Elizabeth, Meghan Markle and the rest of the British royal family spend the holiday?

Dec 15 , 2020

Queen Elizabeth – what traditions does she share with the royal family on Christmas Day? Photo: @theroyalfamily/Instagram

The royal family send out 750 cards, give Harrods or Fortnum & Mason Christmas puddings to all their staff, spend the day exchanging cheesy gifts and playing charades, and weigh themselves before and after dinner

British royals, like most of their countrymen, spend Christmas with family. And despite their status, they don’t spend their day lavishly. A typical royal Christmas Day sounds like any other British family’s – with the exception of a few quirks, and the sending out of a lot more cards.

From sharing oddly tacky gifts to a game of charades and even the strange practice of weighing themselves before and after the festive feast, here’s how the British royals celebrate the season of giving.

Christmas cards

Fancy a Christmas card personally signed by Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip? The royal family sends about 750 cards each year, to family, friends and to various prime ministers, governor-generals and high commissions around the Commonwealth.

The cards usually feature a family portrait and are signed by “Elizabeth R” and “Philip”. The Duke of Edinburgh also addresses an additional 200 cards to different organisations which are close to his heart.

Cute gifts

Queen Elizabeth and Meghan Markle. Photo: @theroyalfamily/Instagram

Royal Christmas presents are not as extravagant as you might think – they’re quite fond of cutesy, gag-like gifts for the festive season. The queen gives Christmas puddings she has ordered from either Harrods or Fortnum & Mason to every member of the palace staff. Meghan Markle presented her then-future mother-in-law with a singing toy hamster back in 2017, which greatly amused the queen’s beloved corgis.

Jam pennies

A traditional Christmas afternoon tea delight for the royal family is “jam pennies”. The cute snack is a favourite of the queen: a simple sandwich with a penny-sized dollop of jam in the centre. The royal family members present traditionally enjoy these jam pennies with a glass of wine or a cup of tea.