Royal tradition that staff did 'religiously' at Sandringham over Christmas: 'They would all be called in'
A former staff member revealed all in an interviewThe staff working for the royal family at Sandringham over Christmas had a tradition that they followed religiously every year, it has been claimed.
A former staff member, who has spent many a Christmas working for the royals on their Norfolk estate, has revealed all in a new interview.
Royal family tradition at Sandringham over Christmas
Every year, the royals decamp from London and Windsor to spend the festive period at the Sandringham Estate in Norfolk.
This has been a lasting tradition since 1988. Prior to 1988, Christmases were spent at Windsor Castle. However, the castle was being rewired in 1988, meaning the royals had to go elsewhere for their Christmas celebrations.
Sandringham it was – and Sandringham it has remained ever since.
Following the death of Queen Elizabeth II in 2022, King Charles has continued the tradition of spending the festive period at the Norfolk estate.
They would all be called in, then afterwards would often go for a walk around the Sandringham estate or have a nap.
Now, royal staff members have revealed just how Christmas goes down at the Sandringham Estate.
Speaking on behalf of Smooth Spins Casino, former royal chef Darren McGrady has opened up about what the big day is like at Sandringham.
One of the things he revealed is that at 3pm, all the staff stop working to watch the king’s Christmas Speech.
“They did it religiously! They would all be called in, then afterwards would often go for a walk around the Sandringham estate or have a nap,” he revealed.
Staff’s Christmas traditions at Sandringham
Darren also revealed that staff would receive a present from Queen Elizabeth II when he worked there.
“All the staff got a gift from the Queen. It started off that we would choose something from a catalog that the housekeeping had. They were all purchased at 50% off, so you were getting something for half price, whatever you chose,” he explained.
“The Queen and Prince Philip, before they went off to Sandringham, would meet at Buckingham Palace with all of the staff and present their individual gift to them. They would also do the same at Windsor Castle a few days before, then the same when they arrived at Sandringham.
Presents from Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip
“Every member of staff would get a gift, and you could choose different things. You could collect china by having a different piece every year, the same with cutlery. It was only up to a certain amount.”
“You’d also be presented with a Christmas pudding, which was a Tesco’s Christmas pudding. All the staff got one, along with a card from the Queen and Prince Philip. That went on for quite a few years,” Darren then added.
Elsewhere in his chat, Darren admitted that Christmas Day at Sandringham was a military operation for staff.
“If you’ve seen the movie Spencer, you’ll see the army deliver all the food in the boxes and hampers, which is what happened,” he said.
He then went on to explain that the food would arrive at Sandringham a few days earlier to ensure everything was prepped on the day.
“Every year it was like a military operation, so nothing went wrong,” he revealed.
Read more: How King Charles broke tradition with his 2024 Christmas speech
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