The invite list for the British royal family’s annual Christmas celebrations tends to be exclusive, consisting of King Charles III, Queen Camilla, and their relatives. In December 2024, Prince William shared during an outing that there would “be 45 [guests total] for Christmas” at Sandringham that year, per People, adding, “It won’t be quiet, it will be noisy.”
While that might seem like an overwhelming guest list, there’s plenty of room for visitors at the Norfolk estate where the royals flock each year. The main residence, Sandringham House, is believed to have over 100 rooms, according to Visit Norfolk.
Not every royal spends Christmas there—notably, Prince Harry and wife Meghan Markle celebrate with their children on the other side of the Atlantic. Princess Diana was also known to leave early or skip festivities altogether, royal biographer Ingrid Seward shared in a December 2024 appearance on The Sun’s Royal Exclusive show.
For those that do attend, however, there are a series of unspoken rules they reportedly have to follow. Keep reading to learn more about the unwritten expectations when spending Christmas with the royal family.
Don’t be late.
The British royal family on their annual Christmas morning walk to Sandringham Church in 2024.
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Obvious as it sounds, arriving late to the Christmas festivities at Sandringham House is considered especially disrespectful. The royals have a specific order in which they’re supposed to arrive, per The Telegraph, and violating that order would presumably be a major faux pas.
Junior members of the royal family are told to arrive first, while the most senior royals arrive last. This is out of respect for the hierarchy; because they get to Sandringham later, senior royals don’t have to wait on anyone else.
Bring a week’s worth of outfits—including black-tie apparel.
Catherine, Princess of Wales, attends the ‘Together At Christmas’ Carol Service in 2024.
Chris Jackson/Getty Images
Matching pajamas aren’t part of the dress code for Christmas at Sandringham. The royals’ multi-day celebrations are akin to a festive Met Gala for royals, with a surprising focus on fashion that can involve wearing a week’s worth of outfits in just three days.
Per the late Lady Elizabeth Shakerley, a cousin of Queen Elizabeth who spoke to Vanity Fair in 2013 about the exclusive holiday gathering, you used to need a suitcase of outfits for Boxing Day alone. “In the morning you are dressed for breakfast, then you change for shooting. The Queen wears a skirt and so do most of the women,” Shakerley (née Anson) explained. “You come back to the house and change for tea at about 5:30 p.m. into a wool dress or a suit with a skirt. Then you have a quick change for dinner.” The outlet also noted a change for lunch, bringing the outfits up to five total.
The fashion parade has reportedly scaled back since King Charles took over hosting duties from his late mother, although guests aren’t completely off the hook. “It used to be a nightmare going to Sandringham because there used to be so many outfit changes, sometimes up to six a day. But the king has relaxed that. There won’t be so many changes but everyone will wear black tie at Christmas dinner,” a source told Vanity Fair in December 2025.
Skip expensive gifts in favor of gag ones.
What do you get the royal that has everything? Gag gifts, of course. Per People, the family opt for quirky, silly presents over expensive ones—Princess Anne once gifted then-Prince Charles a leather toilet seat, for example.
Another year, Kate Middleton reportedly gifted brother-in-law Harry a “Grow Your Own Girlfriend” kit—before he met now-wife Markle, of course. And Markle made a splash during her first Sandringham Christmas in 2017, according to the outlet, giving brother-in-law William a spoon with the words “cereal killer” on it.
Leave Monopoly and other board games at home.
Many families spend Christmas gathered over a board game, competing to win as a solo player or on teams. The game Monopoly has caused its share of fights among non-royal relatives, and evidently, Queen Elizabeth deemed it “too vicious” for the Windsors, too. That’s according to former BBC royal correspondent Jennie Bond, who spoke with the Sun in December 2025 (via Marie Claire) about the monarch’s Christmas traditions.
Instead, the family participates in an annual game of charades, according to Elle Decor. This mandatory game takes place after the annual Christmas broadcast, which airs at 3 p.m.
Husbands and wives can’t have breakfast together on Christmas Day.
Princess Kate, Prince William, and their children on Christmas Day, 2023.
Samir Hussein/WireImage
In 2017, former royal chef Darren McGrady opened up to the Daily Mail about the menu and traditions around dining at Sandringham over the holidays. Specifically, he claimed that William and Kate—and their fellow spouses in attendance—don’t sit down for breakfast together on Christmas morning.
“On Christmas Day, the ladies generally opt for a light breakfast of sliced fruit, half a grapefruit, toast, and coffee delivered to their rooms—the Queen’s tray is delivered at exactly 9:00 a.m.,” McGrady said. “The male royals, meanwhile, come downstairs to the dining room for a hearty breakfast at 8:30 a.m., with eggs, bacon and mushrooms, kippers, and grilled kidneys, to set them up for the 11:00 a.m. church service at St Mary Magdalene. When they return, it’s straight into pre-lunch drinks.”
There’s no official explanation as to why this separation takes place, but some outlets have theorized that it has to do with women historically taking longer to get ready and thus needing to take breakfast in their rooms. Whatever the reason, couples and their families are reunited for the traditional walk to church for Christmas mass.