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By Rebecca armitage and Lucia stone for ABC
Christmas at Sandringham is about family and tradition. They are joyous moments where the Royals gather to play board games or exchange gifts and other more formal ones dictated by extremely strict protocols developed over decades.
Members of the UK royal family, including the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh, leave St Mary Magdalene Church in Sandringham on Christmas Day 2017.
Photo: AFP
For those lucky enough to be on the list, it means having up to seven outfits ready for Christmas Day alone, and that doesn’t include a pair of stretch pants for dinner.
But after a year plagued by coronaviruses, lockdowns and scandals, it seems that Christmas will be a much more moderate affair and everyone will spend the holidays separately.
The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh will spend the holidays at Windsor Castle, celebrating “quietly” at their Berkshire residence.
That means we won’t see the usual photos of the family wandering around St Mary Magdalene Church in Sandringham for the Christmas service.
Instead, the BBC reports that the Queen will skip church on Christmas Day to avoid large crowds. His Christmas Day speech will air at 15:00 GMT.
The Duke and Duchess are delighted to share a new image of their family, which appears on their Christmas card this year.
by Matt Porteous pic.twitter.com/fz8ZnrAqbD
– The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge (@KensingtonRoyal) December 16, 2020
As for the other members of the royal family, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have yet to confirm what they will do, telling the crowd earlier this month that “it’s hard to know what to do for the better.”
Prince Harry and Meghan’s plans are still up in the air as well, though there are reports that they may be happening at their home in the United States with Meghan’s mother Doria, following other family members in having one more festive season. reduced.
We are delighted to receive wonderful Christmas wishes from our sponsor, the Duchess of Sussex, who also made a personal donation, helping dogs, cats and our community. From everyone at Mayhew, thank you and Merry Christmas.
Know more! https://t.co/5o2RHLveRM pic.twitter.com/uBV19F6Odt– Mayhew (@themayhew) December 23, 2020
Meghan, Duchess of Sussex and Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, depart after the traditional Royal Family Christmas Day service at St Mary Magdalene Church in Sandringham on Christmas Day 2018.
Photo: Paul ELLIS / AFP
Meanwhile, the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall have confirmed that they will spend December 25 at their estate in Gloucestershire.
It is also understood that some family members will visit the Queen and Prince Philip during the holidays, although not much is known about who will make the list and where they will visit.
The royal family often spend Christmas at the queen’s private estate at Sandringham.
And it wouldn’t be a real event without its rules and traditions, including a process for how guests are supposed to arrive on Christmas Eve.
Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall spend Christmas in Gloucestershire without the rest of the royal clan. (file photo)
Photo: AFP
The idea is for the family to appear in reverse order of succession, so Princess Beatrice cannot get there after her cousin, Prince William.
That would be considered rude.
The idea is for everyone to gather at the estate on Christmas Eve for afternoon tea and finish decorating their twenty-foot tall tree.
It is usually adorned with regal-themed ornaments, including mini crowns, a golden throne, a piper in a kilt, and mini corgis.
Gifts are also exchanged the day before Christmas in a nod to the Windsor family’s German heritage. They are meant to be simple or fun, rather than wacky.
Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge, for example, gave the Queen handmade chutney on her first Christmas with the Royals.
“I was a little worried about it, but the next day I noticed it was on the table,” the Duchess of Cambridge said in a documentary made in honor of the queen’s 90th birthday.
“I think such a simple gesture helped me a lot.”
Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, left, speaks with Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, as they arrive for the traditional royal family Christmas service at St Mary Magdalene Church in Sandringham, Norfolk, in 2018.
Photo: AFP
Attire for every occasion
Christmas with the Royals at Sandringham may require five to seven outfit changes a day, including gala options for the evening.
The queen’s personal boudoir Angela Kelly recently wrote a book about the gigantic efforts required to stylize a monarch.
She says that during the festive season, the Queen “is as busy as she would be in London, with more guests to entertain.”
In the last season of The crown, the gala dinner for Christmas 1990 serves as the dramatic crescendo of the series, with Diana donning a daring backless halter dress as she realizes her place within the royal family.
But perhaps the most important and visible costume choice for the Royals is what they wear in the church of Santa Maria Magdalena on Christmas morning.
Kelly says that she always lets the Queen’s guests know what color she has decided to wear for the church walk.
“When it comes to the royal family, it doesn’t matter if they wear the same color as the queen because they are family,” he explains.
“Other guests, however, feel that they should not be the same color as Her Majesty, although the Queen would not mind if this happened.”
The queen makes a color statement at Christmas, as with the outfit she wore on Christmas Day 2012.
Photo: AFP
More changes ahead?
The royal family has adopted new traditions in the past.
During the 1960s, when the queen’s children were young, the family used to celebrate Christmas at Windsor Castle.
But when the castle was reconfigured in 1988, the family went to Sandringham and have continued to go there for the holidays ever since, according to the royal family’s website.
The official word has been that this year is expected to be the only time when plans change.
“Like everyone else, they expect things to return to normal in 2021,” said a spokesman for the palace.
– ABC
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