Charles & Camilla’s plans for the big day…
It’s their first as King and Queen Consort, so how will they be celebrating this year?
This will be King Charles III’s first Christmas as monarch and while he will no doubt maintain many of the same traditions, naturally there will be differences.
Christmas Day is likely to be hosted at Sandringham as usual, as a way of commemorating the first festive season without Charles’s beloved mother, but this may change in the years to come.
Some traditions are likely to remain – since the reign of King George V, it has been custom for the reigning monarch to give as many as 1,500 Christmas puddings to their staff and no doubt it’s hoped Charles will also continue this ritual.
In the run-up to the big day, it’s also customary for senior royals to throw their support behind causes close to their hearts. Camilla has traditionally invited seriously ill children to help decorate the magnificent tree at Clarence House, with the help of a soldier or two. Likewise, the royals diligently send Christmas cards – it’s been said The Queen would sign as many as 900.
No doubt Charles and Camilla will continue the traditon which harks back to Victorian times,
The Royal Family traditionally exchange presents on Christmas Eve
of giving presents on Christmas Eve, an echo of their German heritage, with gifts laid out on trestle tables.
There’s no doubt that a traditional Christmas dinner will be enjoyed, with the Corgis – as well as Camilla’s two Jack Russells – being treated to their own special menu. The family are also partial to a game of charades after lunch, then of course the monarch’s speech to the nation is televised mid-afternoon. Making his debut annual address will be a big moment for Charles and no doubt the family will gather to watch – as will many of us at home.
While this year’s festivities will be tinged by heartache, hopefully the family will round it off with a toast to the Queen – and to our new King, too.