Camilla Parker-Bowles has a full plate during the holiday season. This is because she celebrates Christmas with two families: the royal family and her own family. But even before she married Prince Charles, she also has a busy Christmas schedule.
In Zoe Burrel's Royals podcast, royal commentator Angela Mollard revealed what it was like for Camilla to celebrate Christmas. She said the Duchess of Cornwall typically races between two families.
The royal family usually spent Christmas Day at Queen's Sandringham Estate in Norfolk. Camilla will join the rest of the family in the church service and then they will have lunch together.
According to former royal chef Darren McGrady, they usually serve the family with a traditional feast. This includes turkey, mashed and roast potatoes, stuffing, cranberry sauce, and Brussels sprouts. McGrady added that Christmas pudding is also brought into the room at around 2 p.m. and is served with brandy butter and brandy sauce.
Around this time, the royal family sits down together to watch the Queen's annual Christmas broadcast. After the Queen's speech, the Duchess of Cornwall will travel to London to be with her first family.
Camilla will spend the evening with her son, chef and food writer Tom Parker-Bowles, and her art curator daughter, Laura Lopes, as well as her grandchildren. Tom revealed in his recently published his new book, Christmas & Other Winter Feasts, a funny story about his mother during the holidays.
He said when they were young and before Camilla got married to the future King of Britain, his mother and his aunt used to get up very early to put the turkey into the oven. Tom wrote that his mom used to sweat and swear while trying to squeeze an oversized turkey into the oven.
"They always made a big deal of it, and sweating away and pushing it and swearing at six o'clock in the morning," said Tom, who also added his mother is good at cooking, especially roast chicken.
Tom Parker-Bowles also revealed that she and his sister also meet their father, Andrew Parker Bowles, at the latter's house in London on Christmas Day. They share lunch together and after the meal, they gather in front of the TV to watch James Bond movies.
Meanwhile, Mollard said though the big celebration for the royal family is on Christmas Eve, breakfast on Christmas Day is still an important part of the royal celebrations.
The royals' morning on Christmas Day morning is quieter. There is no formal breakfast. A buffet-style is usually laid out where the members of the family can take a bit whenever they want. Hence, they usually call it "munching it" breakfast.
