Christmas tends to see members of the royal family such as King Charles, Queen Camilla, Princess Kate and Prince William gather at Sandringham estate in Norfolk to enjoy Church services and festive feasts – a tradition started by his late mother Queen Elizabeth II.
But will he continue with her controversial menu? While the late monarch reportedly kept her Christmas Day meal very traditional, serving an impressive three turkeys, she chose a more unexpected dish to kick off Boxing Day.
For those who stayed with the Queen, December 26 began with a hearty buffet breakfast of kedgeree, bacon and eggs.
Kedgeree, a Scottish staple, is a dish of flaked fish, rice, hard-boiled eggs with cream and curry powder – not something most people would like to be served after a late night!
They would then spend the rest of Boxing Day enjoying a range of outdoor pursuits, such as shooting, riding and walking around the vast estate. The family traditionally takes part in a pheasant shoot as well as horse riding, followed by an annual lunch of cold cuts and salads.
The royal Boxing Day menu was typically lighter than that on Christmas Day, which consisted of a full English breakfast, followed by a traditional turkey Christmas dinner and afternoon tea.
© GettyFormer royal chef Darren McGrady, who has worked for the Queen and Princess Diana, has cooked around seven Christmas dinners in his career and he revealed to HELLO! what to expect from the royal Christmas menu.
“It was the same meal every year,” he said. “They’re actually boring when it comes to festivities! They didn’t do hams or anything, just traditional turkeys.
© Getty“We did three turkeys for the Queen and her family in the royal dining room, one for the children’s nursery and then more for the 100 or so staff, so everyone had a Christmas lunch.”
The family would dine on “turkey, different stuffings – sage and onion, chestnut – and the traditional sides like roast potatoes, mash potatoes, parsnips and Brussels sprouts,” added Darren, and then Christmas pudding for dessert. See their recipe in the video below…
2022 marked the first year the royal family gathered without Queen Elizabeth II, who died in September. HELLO!’s Royal Editor Emily Nash revealed the “poignant” occasion allowed her family members to keep her memory alive by continuing her traditions.
© Getty“This is going to be a very poignant Christmas for the King and his family, as their first without the late Queen in their midst. But it’s also a chance for them to all come together and share their memories and continue family traditions in the place she loved so much,” she said.
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