The Royal Family eschews at least one aspect of their usual formality at Christmas time with their ban on expensive or lavish presents, instead preferring to exchange thoughtful homemade items or silly gag gifts among themselves during the festive period. This must be pretty handy, because as a family they pretty much have everything already.
The royals usually spend Christmas at the Sandringham Estate in Norfolk, which has been owned privately by the Windsors since 1862 - unlike Buckingham Palace or Windsor Castle which are owned by the Crown Estate - which means that the monarch can't sell them. The 20,000-acre estate is a bolthole for the royals north of London and has been the festive setting for the royals for decades.
One gift that has been widely reported was from Prince Harry to his grandmother the Queen and she was said to have loved the silly present: a singing fish. The late Queen reportedly loved it so much that it still hangs "proudly in Balmoral" - per Finding Freedom, a book about Harry and Meghan released in 2020.
The singing fish even made it into a scene in The Crown on Netflix, however, they depicted that Prince Andrew gave her the much-enjoyed gift.
Another gag gift that Prince Harry was reported to once have given his grandmother was a "Ain't life a b***h" shower cap. Princess Anne is said to have once given her brother Charles a leather toilet seat cover, and Kate is reported to have given Harry a 'grow your own girlfriend' kit back in his single days.
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The royals join Charles at Sandringham on Christmas Eve - which is when they exchange their gifts too, per the German tradition as a nod to the family's heritage. During the late Queen's reign, royals arrived in order of seniority, with those lower down the line of succession arriving first.
They are said to all place their gifts for one another on a table before they're exchanged and then they go on to enjoy what Ingrid Seward of Majesty Magazine has called "lethal martinis". The penchant for gag gifts shows that sense of humour is crucial to enjoying Christmas with the Royal Family, which in many other respects still retains a very formal atmosphere. Reportedly, no television is allowed except the King's Christmas message and none of the royals are allowed to depart for bed until the monarch has done so.
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