Complicated Christmas politics that dictate where Royals will spend it
While many families may shake things up from year to year when it comes to Christmas, the Royal Family typically sticks to the same tried and trusted routine, especially when it comes to gathering together on the day itself.
Once the Christmas cards have been sent out and the official annual pre-Christmas luncheon held, the senior Royals sign off from their duties and head up to Sandringham House for the duration of the festive period, as they have done every year since 1988, except for 2021, when Covid restrictions were in place.
While gathered together, members of the family honour several fond traditions, including exchanging novelty gifts on Christmas Eve, and attending the morning service at the church of St Mary Magdalene. There will, however, be a few notable changes this year, with King Charles III and Queen Camilla inviting some new guests to join them.
The Royals have celebrated Christmas at Sandringham since 1988 (Getty Images)Festive destination of choice
Over the years, many have wondered why exactly the Norfolk estate is the Royals' yuletide destination of choice, and there are a few reasons why.
From the 12th century right up until the 20th century, Royal Christmastime was usually held at Windsor Castle, with King Charles and Princess Anne having spent many of their childhood Christmases there. As per the Royal family's official website, the family made the switch to Sandringham in 1988, while the castle was being rewired, and it's been their destination of choice ever since.
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Although Queen Elizabeth II never publicly explained the reasons behind the swap, it makes a lot of sense. With 20,000 sprawling acres of land, Sandringham is the perfect location for outdoor pursuits, including the family's annual Boxing Day hunt. It's also ideally situated, being a very manageable two-and-a-half-hour drive from Buckingham Palace.
The late Queen's former press secretary, Dickie Arbiter, previously told Hello! magazine: "Traditionally the family has always gone to Sandringham at Christmas. It's close to London where she does occasions almost right up to Christmas. She wants to be at Sandringham at the beginning of February, which is the anniversary of the death of her father. So Sandringham has always been the traditional place to go for Christmas until New Year."
Of course, the Windsor Castle fire of 1992 - a year Queen Elizabeth famously dubbed her 'annus horribilis' - could have influenced Her Majesty's decision to keep festivities at Sandringham. The dismaying blaze destroyed 115 rooms of the historic castle, which took five full years to restore. By that point, it can be imagined, the Royal Family had become quite accustomed to wintertime at spacious Sandringham.
The Royal Family will be joined by some new guests this year (Getty Images)New guests and uninvited Royals
For the very first time, Queen Camilla's children Laura Lopes, 45, and Tom Parker Bowles, 48, will be invited to spend Christmas at Sandringham, along with her five grandchildren. It is understood that dinner will be served in the larger ballroom rather than the dining room, to accommodate the extra guests, while some members of staff have reportedly been left 'disgruntled' over the change.
In the Daily Mail's Ephraim Hardcastle column, a royal highlight claimed: "The King's decision to expand the guest list for Christmas at Sandringham hasn't been met with universal festive joy. Making space for Queen Camilla's children and grandchildren means that some staff are disgruntled. They have been told to give up their rooms to accommodate the visitors and rough it in smaller quarters and even share rooms."
According to the column, Prince Andrew and ex-wife Sarah 'Fergie' Ferguson, will be staying at the neighbouring Wood Farm Cottage, and will drive over 'for meals and church'. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle haven't attended Christmas dinner at Sandringham since 2016 and are extremely likely to be absent from the table this year after Harry's explosive claims in Spare.
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