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Queen Elizabeth II and her husband, Prince Philip, were always said to be exasperated and concerned by turns by their eldest son’s extravagance.
In contrast to their studied frugality—think breakfast cereal stored in plastic containers while huddled round one bar of an electric fire—King Charles always seemed to prefer a billionaire’s lifestyle of polo ponies, helicopters, and lavish foreign holidays. Rumors that he likes his shoelaces ironed and his toothpaste squeezed just won’t go away.
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Charles’ well-known penchant for magnificence looks set to be on full display at the annual gathering of the inner circle of the royal family at their country home, Sandringham, this Christmas.
In a break with tradition, the palace quietly disseminated the guest list back in November, rebutting an implicit request for an invite to the festivities from Harry and Meghan’s camp, who had briefed the media that they would like one.
As a result, we know exactly who is going—and Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are not, a situation made even less surprising by the saga over the guest list being followed by the blazing headlines around Charles and Kate Middleton being named as the alleged “royal racists” in the Dutch editions of Omid Scobie’s book Endgame.
How that draft ended up getting printed and who Scobie’s source or sources were remain unknown. More unknowns: what Charles and/or Kate said or did not say about the color of the skin of Harry and Meghan’s then-unborn son Archie, and will the royal code of silence around the whole thing be maintained, or will the initial whispers of possible legal action ever materialize into anything?
Charles is thought to still be smarting from being named in Scobie’s book, with palace insiders briefing that they believe the leak came from Meghan’s camp. However, a friend of the king told The Daily Beast he would “of course” want to speak to his son and his family at Christmas.
Harry’s victory in his phone hacking case against Mirror Group Newspapers—with legal rulings pending in his cases against Associated Newspapers and Rupert Murdoch’s News Group Newspapers—was a monumental moment in the relationship between royals and the press, but even if his family privately hail his success, personal relationships remain fractured, with sources previously telling The Daily Beast that Harry and Prince William’s relationship damaged beyond repair. Had Harry and Meghan actually come for Christmas, it is entirely likely that William and Kate would have found another place to chow down on turkey.
Britain's Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and his wife Meghan, Duchess of Sussex pose with the medalists after the sitting volleyball final at the 2023 Invictus Games.
Piroschka Van De Wouw/ReutersHarry and Meghan are thought to be spending Christmas in Montecito, or with their children and probably Meghan’s mom, Doria Ragland. So, who will be at Sandringham? William, Kate, and their children—Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis—are expected to attend, and also take part in the annual walk to the local church, which is as good a guide to any to see who is in and who is out of the royal fold. William and Kate will likely stay at their country retreat, Anmer Hall, and may head to Kate’s parents on Boxing Day.
The most startling change is that both of Queen Camilla’s children, Tom Parker Bowles and Laura Lopes, and her five grandchildren have all been invited.
Camilla’s sister, the interior designer Annabel Elliot, also has an invite.
Prince Andrew and his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson, along with their daughters Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie and their respective families are invited. In a clear sign that the king wants his brother accorded respect and fully involved in family events, Andrew, who was forced to stand down from royal life after being accused of sex crimes, is to be hosted with his family at one of the property’s most desirable homes, Wood Farm, the retirement home of Prince Philip. Other members of the royal family—like Princess Anne, and her kids and their spouses and children—will also be there.
The extra numbers mean that some staff are likely to have to give up their rooms in the house; they also mean that the big lunch will now be served in the ballroom of Sandringham House rather than the dining room, as has previously been the custom.
The general structure of the meals themselves—kippers and kedgeree for breakfast for the men in the dining room (but served as breakfast in bed to the women), roast turkey with all the trimmings for lunch and an elaborate evening buffet featuring a variety of meats and cheeses—will not change.
Britain's King Charles, Queen Camilla, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis attend the Royal Family's Christmas Day service at St. Mary Magdalene's church, as the Royals take residence at the Sandringham estate in eastern England, Britain December 25, 2022.
Toby Melville/ReutersNor will the tradition of the family paying tribute to their German heritage by exchanging gifts on Christmas Eve after a slap-up afternoon tea, rather than on Christmas Day itself. The royals have a tradition of giving each other humorous gag gifts, which are laid out on trestle tables after tea. This is customarily followed by a black-tie dinner for the adults.
As mentioned above, we can also expect to see the royals walk to church as usual at 11 a.m. on Christmas Day, and to spend a little while afterwards saying hello to the well-wishers and locals who typically gather at the church to catch a glimpse of the royals.
St. Mary Magdalene church is located on the grounds of the Sandringham estate, and fans of Prince Louis (and his funny faces) will be hoping to see him again, after he made his royal walk debut last year on his grandfather’s first Christmas as king.
At 3 p,m., everything will stop, much as it did in the late queen’s day, for the king’s speech, which is pre-recorded and broadcast on the BBC. Charles, unlike his mother, is said to largely write the speech himself, so it may have a more personal tone. If a phone call to Montecito is made, it is likely it will take place in the early evening to allow for the eight-hour time difference, although so far there has been no confirmation of the likelihood of such contact.
Post-Christmas, Charles is expected to continue to observe the tradition of a Boxing Day shoot, with family members then expected to start making their way home on Dec. 27. Perhaps the biggest change is that rather than stay in Sandringham for several weeks, as Elizabeth used to do after Christmas, Charles and Camilla are also expected to leave shortly after their guests, heading to Scotland to see in the new year as they did last year.
Charles is not expected to retreat to the country as his mother did in January and February. This has been a huge structural alteration to the rhythm of the royal year.
A friend of King Charles told The Daily Beast that the shorter and more defined Christmas break is a natural evolution for the king as he modernizes. “The queen didn’t actually take 10 weeks off, but life certainly ran at a different pace for the winter months when she was in Sandringham,” the friend said. “It’s not just that it might not look great, it also just wouldn’t be practical for Charles to be stuck up there for months on end.”
Buckingham Palace did not respond to a request for comment.
