Watching granddad fall asleep on the sofa, pretending to like a certain gift from a sibling, or stopping relatives getting into fisticuffs over a Scrabble game … every family has some Christmas traditions and the Royal Family is reportedly no different.
According to a royal expert, the Windsors have a ritual which dates back to reign of King Edward VII, or Bertie, as he was affectionately known, who ruled these isles from 1901 until his death in 1910.
More than 100 years on, it is thought the Yuletide routine started by King Edward will be carried out this Christmas too, when the royals gather once more.
The reason behind this particular tradition is said to stem from a wish to make sure all the guests had enjoyed the wonderful food on offer for the big day.
The ritual is to be carried out both immediately before and after the royal gathering.
According to the Mirror, the observance involves weighing invitees before and after they have enjoyed what will undoubtedly have been a wonderful Christmas dinner.
The idea was that all the guests would have been well-fed if they had gained a couple of pounds. King Edward VII started the tradition, and it is understood that guests under the late Queen Elizabeth II would weigh themselves upon their arrival.
The winter weigh-in was still ongoing in 2018, according to Ingrid Seward, the editor of Majesty Magazine.
The royals also participate in another tradition where they open gifts in a “free-for-all”.
On Christmas Eve every year, the family gathers inside Sandringham Estate’s red drawing room at 6pm following afternoon tea. Choosing to do this Christmas ritual on December 24 rather than 25, the Windsors are keeping in line with their German ancestry.
One of the best descriptions of the royals’ Christmas procedure came in Prince Harry’s explosive memoir, Spare.
The prince said: “The whole family gathered to open gifts on Christmas Eve, as always, a German tradition that survived the anglicising of the family surname from Saxe-Coburg-Gotha to Windsor.
“We were at Sandringham in a big room with a long table covered with white cloth and white name cards. By custom, at the start of the night, each of us located our place and stood before our mound of presents. Then suddenly, everyone began opening at the same time. A free-for-all, with scores of family members talking at once and pulling at bows and tearing at wrapping paper.”
It’s reported this year Prince William and Kate may spend Christmas morning and evening at their own Norfolk home, Amner Hall, and then also attend formal Christmas festivities at Sandringham hosted by the King and Queen Camilla.
