What the royal family eats on Christmas day
Darren McGrady, former chef to Queen Elizabeth II, Diana Princess of Wales, Prince William and Prince Harry, has revealed what the royals eat at Christmas.
He told Cosmopolitan magazine that the family goes to Sandringham House in Norfolk for the holiday celebrations, with the Queen arriving around December 19 and the rest of the family joining on Christmas Eve.
“The royals are of German descent so they weave in German traditions to their celebrations," he revealed.
“After afternoon tea, they open gifts on Christmas Eve, as is the German tradition. Christmas morning, the family eats a hearty breakfast before heading off to church.
“After church, that’s when they have a big lunch that includes a salad with shrimp or lobster, and a roasted turkey, and all of your traditional side dishes like parsnips, carrots, brussels sprouts and Christmas pudding with brandy butter for dessert.”
Like many other families around the world, the royals stick to the same menu for Christmas year after year.
After all the family members have finished their meal, they gather to watch the Queen’s Christmas speech.
The family then have spare time to enjoy different activities before meeting together later on for afternoon tea and Christmas fruitcake.
In the evening, they have a buffet with 16-20 items spread out for them to choose from and chefs ready to carve their meat.
One royal Christmas tradition involves the senior chef enjoying a toast with the family after serving dinner.
“That’s the only time the chef goes into the dining room and has a glass of whiskey with the royal family. It’s one of the chef’s favourite traditions," Darren revealed.
One royal tradition will be broken this year as Meghan Markle plans to spend Christmas at Sandringham, a privilege usually reserved for members of the royal family.