Although the royal family’s Christmas will be different this year without Queen Elizabeth II, there are some holiday traditions that King Charles is sure to uphold. While some of these traditions haven’t occurred for the past two years due to COVID, they are set to return this year.
It wouldn’t be a traditional Christmas for the royal family without these three holiday traditions: Christmas Luncheon at Buckingham Palace, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day at Sandringham House, and the Royal Christmas Message. For the king, the absence of any of these events would simply mean it’s not Christmas.
Luncheon At Buckingham Palace
For years, the late queen hosted a Christmas luncheon at Buckingham Palace for the royal family. The meal would take place just before the late monarch would leave for the holiday festivities at Sandringham House. For family members unable to make it to the traditional Christmas Day gathering, the luncheon served as their opportunity to celebrate Christmas with the family.
However, COVID changed this customary Christmas meal for the royal family. In fact, the late queen was unable to hold the luncheon for the past two years due to the pandemic. Now that the virus is under better control, the king is reinstating the luncheon.
Since it hasn’t been held in two years, the event is sure to be quite the get-together. The meal will most likely include the typical turkey with all the trimmings. However, we’ll have to wait and see if the king follows his mother’s tradition of giving a small present to the children at the event.
Christmas Eve And Day At Sandringham House
Another traditional royal family get-together that has looked different the past two years is Christmas Eve and Christmas Day at Sandringham House. Although Prince William and Kate Middleton celebrated Christmas at Sandringham last year, the late queen and now-King Charles were unable to attend due to COVID.
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This year, the royal family is returning to Sandringham! The festivities will begin with a gift exchange on Christmas Eve. Showing that they too can have fun, the royal family often gives gag gifts to one another during the exchange. Afterward, the family sits down for a black or white tie dinner that includes lamb as the main entrée.
Christmas morning begins with the famous walk to St. Mary Magdalene Church, where the royal family will greet people in the town. Then they will have a Christmas Day lunch followed by a fun-filled afternoon of games. We’ve heard that one of the royal family’s favorite games to play is charades!
Royal Christmas Message
This year will be the monarch’s first Christmas address as king. Charles is certain to include a touching tribute to his late mother and celebrate her legacy. We’ll just have to see if he uses the same time slot as his mother. The late queen’s speech always aired at 3 p.m. on BBC.
The royal Christmas message is a long-standing tradition of the ruling monarch. In fact, the royal Christmas message was first broadcast on the radio 90 years ago by the late queen’s grandfather, George V. The first televised speech was given by Elizabeth II in 1957.