Twenty-twenty-four has proved something of an annus horribilis for the Windsors, with both King Charles III and the Princess of Wales battling serious health problems – but the general mood among the royal family appears to be one of optimism when looking ahead to 2025. It’s fitting, then, that the King and Queen are due to host a larger celebratory gathering at Sandringham this Christmas than ever before, with approximately 40 members of the clan heading to Norfolk from Christmas Eve onwards. It’s likely that the Prince and Princess of Wales will make an appearance with Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis – although it’s conceivable that they will spend a quieter holiday at nearby Anmer Hall just the five of them, only joining the rest of the Windsors at St Mary Magdalene Church on Christmas morning. The public is guaranteed more than a glimpse of Kate, though, thanks to her carol service, Together at Christmas, pre-recorded at Westminster Abbey in early December and due to air on ITV at 7:30pm GMT on Christmas eve. As for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex? It’s believed the couple will once again be celebrating at home in Montecito, California, with Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.
Here, a breakdown of the royal family’s Christmas traditions through the centuries, and how they plan to mark the 25th in 2024.
The Trees
Famously, it’s an engraving depicting Queen Victoria and Prince Albert standing beside a Christmas tree at Windsor and published in the Illustrated London News in 1848 that inspired the wider British public to decorate evergreens each December, with Albert donating trees to schools and barracks near Windsor in lieu of the then-popular branch of mistletoe or ivory. In accordance with German tradition, the royal family would only bring their tree inside on Christmas Eve, decorating it with real candles, baubles and homemade gingerbread, before opening presents.
Today, a 20-foot Norwegian spruce from Windsor Great Park is displayed in St George’s Hall at Windsor Castle each year. Meanwhile, at Buckingham Palace, a trio of Christmas trees is placed in the Marble Hall and decorated by staffers in early December, with the King and Queen putting the finishing touches on their tree at Sandringham with the help of their loved ones on 24 December. (As the late Queen Elizabeth II said in her 2015 Christmas speech: “One of the joys of living a long life is watching one’s children, then grandchildren, then great-grandchildren, help decorate the Christmas tree.”) That’s before mentioning the tree that Camilla has installed in Clarence House each year, with children from Helen & Douglas House invited to help the Queen decorate it.
