The royal family might look formal in public but when it comes to Christmas celebrations, they know how to party pretty hard. The Queen's Christmas in Sandringham is actually a hectic family affair with plenty of hilarity and lots of cocktail drinks.
Royal experts for the documentary Sandringham: The Queen at Christmas revealed that the family look forward to this yearly holiday gatherings. Christmas in the Queen's Norfolk estate usually kicks off in the eve of this holiday, when the royal family exchanges gag gifts to mock each other.
Among the gifts Queen Elizabeth received from her family members over the years included a goofy cap, aprons and a fish figurine that sings on the wall. Prince Harry once gifted Prince William a comb when it was evident that the Duke of Cambridge was losing his hair. Kate Middleton also once gave Prince Harry a "Grow Your Own Girlfriend" kit when he was still dating other women before meeting his wife, Meghan Markle.
After the gift exchange, the older royal family members have some drinks courtesy of Prince Philip who prepares a "very strong" cocktail. Some say it's so strong enough to put the rest of the family to sleep. Usually, however, the Queen enjoys her martini while the rest have their champagne.
By dinner time, the royal family shares a six-course meal with mostly French cuisines on the menu. Then, they spend the rest of the night dancing, singing or playing board games until the Queen retires to bed. Only then can the rest of the family also sleep when Queen Elizabeth sleeps.
In the morning, the royal family walk to the church near Sandringham after a relaxing breakfast, no matter what time they slept the night before. This march to the church also gives the royals the chance to personally greet commoners who would be attending the mass with them.
After hearing mass, the family will once again return to the Queen's house for her traditional Christmas lunch of meat and potatoes. The children are served in a separate room as the adults.
Around 3:00 p.m. the royals gather around in front of the television to watch Queen Elizabeth deliver her Christmas speech for Great Britain. She started doing this yearly speech in 1957.
By Boxing Day, the rest of the royal family travel back home to Windsor or Kensington or where their next plans for the holidays may take them. Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip, however, remain in Sandringham until the early days of February.
