Princess Diana made a Sandringham Christmas gaffe the first time she was included in the festive royal celebrations.
As Marie Claire previously reported, the then-Princess of Wales gifted Princess Anne a cashmere sweater because she hadn't been informed about the gag gift tradition the royals typically engage in—with the Princess Royal giving her a toilet roll holder in exchange. Yikes.
Commenting on the incident previously, royal expert Angela Mollard blamed Diana and then-Prince Charles' lack of communication for the mishap.
"When Diana first went she didn't know that there was this joke present tradition. So she had got Princess Anne this gorgeous cashmere jumper," Mollard said on the Royals podcast (via Express).
"It was all very sensible and expensive. And she handed it over and she hadn't been made aware that it was just novelty presents."
She added, "Poor thing! They don't communicate very well."
Royal writer Zoe Borrell chimed in, "Charles should have told her that before they went!"
Mollard answered, "I don't think they were talking much! They got married in August and I don't think they were talking by December.
"So he didn't give her that information and she was very annoyed about it."
Thankfully, Diana came prepared the year after that, gifting her sister-in-law Sarah, the Duchess of York, a leopard-print bath mat. The two women were fast friends throughout their time in the Royal Family, so it was especially appropriate for them to joke with each other.
By contrast, Prince Harry made sure to tell his then-fiancée Meghan Markle about the gag gift thing before she attended the Sandringham festivities for the first time. Therefore, the Duchess of Sussex famously gifted the late Queen a singing toy hamster. The lucky recipient apparently quipped, "It can keep my dogs company."
