- Former Palace aid Angela Kelly has described royal Christmases as not “all that relaxing”, in her 2019 memoir, The Other Side of the Coin: The Queen, the Dresser and the Wardrobe.
- According to Kelly, “there is a lot to do and many events to attend,” with guests needing “several outfit changes in one day”.
- The royal family is expected to continue their holiday break in Sandringham until early January.
The Mountbatten-Windsors are known to pull out all the stops at Christmas, with the royal family gathering from far and wide to see in the festivities at their Norfolk estate.
And from joke gift exchanges on Christmas Eve, and the family-wide ban on Monopoly to a bizarre tradition seeing guests weighed on antique scales to ensure that they have eaten enough, festive antics at Sandringham are legendary.
However, according to royal insiders, it isn’t all fun and games, with the family members in attendance having a busy calendar of events to follow between Christmas and New Year.
This is something that former Palace aid Angela Kelly has opened up about in the past, with the royal dresser to the late Queen Elizabeth II accompanying the monarch to Sandringham for Christmas on many occasions.
“The house is buzzing, and I love to hear the children running around, laughing and playing,” Kelly has previously explained in her memoir, The Other Side of the Coin: The Queen, the Dresser and the Wardrobe. “It looks magical, too, with the tree and all the Christmas decorations.”
Penguin
The Palace Papers, Tina Brown
Author and former Vanity Fair editor, Tina Brown, offers insight into how the biggest moments in recent royal history unfolded – from Camilla’s royal ascension, to Harry and Meghan’s departure.
Revenge: Meghan, Harry and the War Between the Windsors, by Tom Bower
This was branded as one of the most ‘explosive’ royal biographies in recent years, detailing the fallout between the monarchy, and the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.
However, Kelly added, the festive break at Sandringham, often running until January, is far from relaxing, with a shooting party organised almost every day, long dog walks and many formal dinners, with the royals needing “several outfit changes in one day”.
“Like Balmoral, Sandringham is for holidays, although spending time at either house isn’t all that relaxing, as there is a lot to do and many events to attend,” Kelly explained. “The Queen is just as busy as she would be in London, with more guests to entertain.”
Well, that’s that.