Festive celebrations at the palace might have to make way for a rule of six this year…
Celebrity The royals might have to give some of their traditions a miss this year. It’s no secret that the British royal family does pretty much everything differently than the rest of us. They follow a set of guidelines for their everyday life that affect everything from what they wear, to how they can sit down, and even what they can and cannot eat when travelling. While these are said to be more of a suggestion than hard and fast rules, it’s pretty clear that members of the royal family take them seriously regardless — just think about the way Meghan Markle’s style changed when she married Prince Harry. These guidelines impact their holiday season, too. There are some requirements for how the royals spend Christmas, but honestly, the ‘rules’ sound more fun than restricting. So, how does the royal family spend Christmas? Members of Queen Elizabeth’s immediate family, like Prince William and Kate Middleton, for example, are expected to take part in many Christmas traditions as a family. But as this year is bound by coronavirus restrictions, Christmas at the Windsors is expected to be a whole lot different. Normally, the royal family would descend en masse to the Sandringham estate for the festive period. But, like the rest of the nation, the Queen,94, and Prince Philip,99, will have to think carefully about who to invite into their Christmas bubble this year. Under the current relaxation of government restrictions over the festive period, three households can mix from December 23 to 27 if the bubble doesn’t change over the five-day period, meaning mixing with other households is not allowed. Buckingham Palace is yet to announce where and with whom the monarch will be spending the festive period, but current government guidelines would allow the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh to make their annual trip to Sandringham for Christmas. Which other members of the royal family will join them, however, is a tricky one to navigate. The Queen and Prince Phillip could choose to “bubble up” with Prince Charles and Camilla, too. But the Duchess of Cornwall would then not be permitted to see her children and beloved grandchildren. The Queen could also spend the festive period with her only daughter, the Princess Royal, and her husband, as Princess Anne rarely fails to attend a public royal gathering at Christmas.
