Here's how the royal family spends Christmas every year
- The royal family usually spends Christmas at the Queen's estate in Sandringham, Norfolk.
- They have a black-tie dinner Christmas Eve, then attend church on Christmas Day.
Before Christmas, members of the royal family send out cards to extended family, friends, and British politicians.
The royal family has been sending out Christmas cards for more than a century. This year, Prince William and Kate Middleton's Christmas card featured a photo from a family trip to Jordan.
The royal family traditionally spends the holiday at Sandringham House, the Queen's estate in Norfolk.
Sandringham House is a private residence on an 8,000 hectare-estate owned by the royal family.
Fiancés aren't usually allowed to join the festivities, but the Queen made an exception for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle in 2017.
Markle attended the festivities while she and Harry were engaged, which was an exception to the royal protocol of only allowing spouses at Christmas.
Christmas dinner at Sandringham is a black-tie affair, where women wear gowns and tiaras.
The main dish is usually goose, beef, or chicken, according to The Daily Mail. Turkey is saved for lunch on Christmas Day.
Members of the royal family gather around the tree and exchange hilarious gifts at teatime on Christmas Eve.
Not every part of their Christmas holiday is formal — members of the royal family are fond of getting each other gag gifts like shower caps and toilet seats, according to The Sun. They also play charades and pop open Christmas crackers.
The royal family then attends church services at St Mary Magdalene in Sandringham, a tradition dating back to Queen Victoria.
The service lasts 45 minutes.
The royal family then sits down to lunch, which is scheduled to last exactly 50 minutes.
"After church, that's when they have a big lunch that includes a salad with shrimp or lobster, and a roasted turkey, and all of your traditional side dishes like parsnips, carrots, Brussels sprouts and Christmas pudding with brandy butter for dessert," Darren McGrady, former chef to the royal family, told Cosmopolitan in 2018.
The Queen, who is said to be a chocoholic, reportedly indulges in a chocolate treat for dessert.
Her Majesty has also been known to enjoy afternoon tea and a glass of Champagne in the evening.
Due to her bout of ill health earlier this year, doctors reportedly advised the Queen to give up her daily drink, although having one on special occasions is still allowed.
After lunch, everyone tunes in to watch the Queen's Christmas speech recorded in advance at Buckingham Palace.
In last year's broadcast, the Queen reflected on the coronavirus pandemic, saying it led to challenges but a sense of unity around the UK and globally.
"We continue to be inspired by the kindness of strangers and draw comfort that, even on the darkest nights, there is hope in the new dawn," she said.
She also recognized that for many, the holiday season may be "tinged with sadness," as people are "mourning the loss of those dear to them, and others missing friends and family members distanced for safety, when all they'd really want for Christmas is a simple hug or a squeeze of the hand. If you are among them, you are not alone, and let me assure you of my thoughts and prayers."
While the royal family cozies up in Sandringham, a festive Union flag is projected on the outside of the palace.
It's one of many famous landmarks around the world that gets decked out for the holidays.
The palace staff works hard to deck the halls and hang luminous ornaments on Christmas trees.
Windsor Castle, Queen's Elizabeth's country residence in Berkshire, is decorated for Christmas with giant trees and objects of significance from the royal family's history, like a collection of Christmas presents exchanged by Queen Victoria and Prince Albert.
Continuing her grandfather's tradition, the Queen gifts 1,500 Christmas puddings to the palace staff and security forces to thank them for their efforts.
According to the royal family's official website, the Queen pays for 1,500 Christmas puddings to be distributed to her staff in the palaces, including the Court Post Office and the palace police force. Each one comes with a note from the monarch.
The royal family's plans for Christmas Day this year have not been announced, but the Queen's pre-Christmas lunch with family members has been called off.
The Daily Mirror reported in October that the Queen is still planning to host Christmas festivities at Sandringham amid the rise of the Omicron variant and her recent health issues, but the palace has yet to confirm any royal Christmas plans.
On December 16, the BBC reported that Queen Elizabeth II canceled her traditional pre-Christmas lunch with family — scheduled for early next week — due to the spread of the variant. The event, which is held at Windsor Castle before the Queen travels to Sandringham, also didn't take place in 2020 due to the coronavirus.
A Buckingham Palace source told Reuters: "While there is regret that it is canceled, there is a belief it is the right thing to do for all."
In the past, Prince William, Kate Middleton, and their brood have also spent some Christmas holidays with the Middleton family.
If the royal festivities at Sandringham are canceled, the Cambridges could spend Christmas with the Middletons and attend church services at St Mark's church in Bucklebury, Berkshire, as they have in previous years.
Prince George and Princess Charlotte's good behavior in church has previously been rewarded with sweets.
Prince George enjoyed a candy cane after attending church services on Christmas in 2016.
Markle and Harry haven't been with the royal family for Christmas since 2018.
In 2019, they spent Christmas with Markle's mother, Doria Ragland. Harry told Oprah Winfrey in his and Markle's tell-all interview that Prince Charles stopped taking his phone calls at the end of that year following their decision to step back from royal life.
In 2020, they celebrated Christmas at home in Montecito, California. They haven't yet announced their plans for this year.
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