Wondering what the royals eat on Christmas Day? Here’s what the likes of Prince William and Kate could be enjoying on 25th December.
Festive food is one of the highlights of the Christmas period for so many people and although there are customary yuletide treats like mince pies and chocolate oranges, every family has their own version of what Christmas meals should be. The same is true for the Royal Family, who uphold a lot of festive traditions each year, including spending the Christmas period at Sandringham House in Norfolk. King Charles and Queen Camilla are set to host their nearest and dearest there once again this year, with the Wales family and many more expected to join them for the celebrations. This means plenty of royal mouths to feed and some fans will likely be curious about what they’ll be eating on 25th December.
Thankfully, former royal chef Darren McGrady previously revealed what was on the menu during his time at the Palace. Given how much the royals love a good tradition, this is likely still what Prince William, Kate and their fellow royals will be enjoying this Christmas Day.
Christmas Day Breakfast
Breakfast on Christmas Day is something that everyone approaches differently and Darren claimed in his enlightening piece in The Sunday Times back in 2017 that the breakfast menu isn’t the same for the royal men and women. During his time as a royal chef, and perhaps still today, the royal ladies "generally opt[ed]" for a "light breakfast of sliced fruit, half a grapefruit, toast and coffee delivered to their rooms".
In contrast, he suggested that the royal men come downstairs and eat their Christmas Day breakfast in the dining room at 8:30am. Their plates will apparently be filled up with a "hearty breakfast" of "eggs, bacon and mushrooms, kippers and grilled kidneys".
This is supposedly to "set them up" for attending church at 11am and it’s possible that perhaps nowadays the royal women enjoy a few more of these foods in the morning. Kate in particular is believed to enjoy kidneys, as she once reportedly revealed that she "love[d]" them during a visit to the Oxford House Nursing Home in 2023.
The Royal Family traditionally walk to the church of St Mary Magdalene on the Sandringham estate on Christmas morning, much to the delight of waiting fans who regularly line the way hoping to get a glimpse of them or hand over bouquets of flowers.
All three of the Prince and Princess of Wales’s children have accompanied them in recent years and we’re always treated to some adorable interactions between Prince George, Charlotte and Louis and the other royal kids on Christmas Day.
Christmas Day Lunch
For many people snacks or canapes pre-lunch might be part of their Christmas Day routine, but not so for the royals! Darren alleged that "canapes before a full Christmas lunch are rather frowned upon". However, he did suggest that some of them will "nibble on nuts" as they enjoy a drink of their choice - often apparently a glass of Veuve Clicquot champagne - and anticipate the all-important Christmas roast.
Surprisingly, unless things have changed since Queen Elizabeth’s reign, Prince William, Kate, King Charles and Queen Camilla might not actually have assigned seats for lunch which is served at 1pm.
The former royal chef described seats as being "unassigned" even for the late Queen, and said that children "eat separately in the nursery at 12:30pm". As he didn’t specify these children as being of a certain age it’s possible that Prince George, Charlotte and Louis will still be eating separately from the Prince and Princess of Wales this year, perhaps with Zara Tindall’s children Mia, Lena and Lucas Tindall.
Christmas Day lunch is a full Christmas roast dinner with a turkey as the centrepiece. This is "traditionally from local butcher Scoles in Dersingham" and the Head Chef carves the bird at the table. This is apparently the "one day of the year" he is permitted to enter the dining room and the turkey is served by two types of potatoes - creamy mash and roast potatoes - as well as chestnut or sage and onion stuffing.
Cranberry sauce and bread sauce are there to go alongside, as are brussels sprouts, carrots and roasted parsnips. Very sadly, Darren didn’t mention any pigs in blankets so it seems the Royal Family’s Christmas dinner misses these out.
Dessert couldn’t be anything else but Christmas pudding which is "doused" in fine brandy and given the festive flourish of a holly decoration. The Palace Steward brings the pudding into the dining room and lights it in front of the Royal Family. Darren reflected that he and his fellow chefs used to start making the Christmas puddings in September after returning to London from Balmoral Castle where Queen Elizabeth would enjoy her annual summer holiday.
"The enormous stainless steel sinks in the kitchen are meticulously scrubbed so that they can be used as giant mixing bowls," he said. "The one presented on Christmas Day is often made the previous year, which allows extra time for it to mature."
No coins or trinkets are added into the Royal Family’s Christmas pudding, with Darren noting that "no one wants to be responsible for a royal choking". Instead, it’s served simply at 2pm with brandy butter and some decadent-sounding brandy sauce, followed by a "lavish cheese course". This is said to include Stilton that is soaked with port so it turns purple and soft.
Christmas Day Tea Time
After a full Christmas lunch not everyone would fancy much else for several hours but around 4pm the royals apparently gather again for a "festive tea". Teatime is a key point in the day for the Royal Family and Queen Camilla’s son, food critic and writer Tom Parker Bowles, spoke about this earlier this year. He told People, "It’s of primary importance. It’s not just a cup of tea - it’s an entire meal. There are sandwiches, two different kinds of cake, scones, biscuits, shrimp and eggs."
Of course, that’s regular teatime fare, but Darren claimed that the Christmas royal tea menu includes Christmas cake, a chocolate yule log, mince pies with brandy butter, scones and sandwiches. He added that the Royal Family are "remarkably disciplined with food" and "most simply graze".
Christmas Day Dinner
If Christmas Day dinner is anything like it was during Darren’s time as a royal chef, then Prince William, Kate, King Charles and Queen Camilla are set to enjoy a very unusual and traditional meal around 8:15pm. It’s laid out in the dining room and when Darren worked for the royals the Christmas Day evening buffet apparently included a stuffed boar’s head on platters, ox tongue and boiled and roasted hams, salmon and game.
There were also sliced tomatoes, green leaves and potatoes tossed in hollandaise sauce as side dishes. If they fancied a sweet treat afterwards there were chocolates from Charbonnel et Walker and Bendick’s Bitter Mints which were reportedly Queen Elizabeth’s favourites.
