A look inside the stately home where the Royal Family spend Christmas Day | Royal | News
One of the most enjoyable parts of Christmas is spending time with your nearest and dearest, and the Royal Family is no different. The royal family spends December 25 every year at Sandringham House and will continue this long-standing tradition in 2025. The King and Queen will be at the Norfolk country house, which has been home to generations of royals, on Christmas Day, along with the Prince and Princess of Wales and their children.
However, some prominent faces will not feature, including the King’s brother Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson, who were not invited to the celebrations this year following controversy around the former Duke of York’s links to sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Prince Harry and his wife Meghan and their children Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet are not expected to attend the ceremony.
Apart from the family’s morning walk to nearby St Mary Magdalene Church, which saw crowds lining the road to catch a glimpse of the Royal family, their Christmas Day celebrations are decidedly private. But a series of photos gave a glimpse inside the luxury home where they will spend the day.
Photos posted on Reddit show several rooms inside the house filled with opulent tapestries and furniture, portraits lining the walls, and intricate decorations. The rooms are carefully colour-coordinated, with some in warm, brown and orange tones, others in clean creams and light tones.
Other images show a library lined with bookcases on every wall, while others show elaborately spaced dining rooms. Another image is of the late Queen Elizabeth II. It shows Elizabeth on horseback outside the house, while others show lovingly tended gardens.
Reddit users had different reactions to these photos. One of them said: “The rooms are full of absolutely mismatched, completely worn out floral furniture.”
Another said: “I remember reading somewhere that Princess Diana said she hated spending Christmas at Sandringham because it was freezing cold and these photos give that vibe. I wouldn’t want to spend the holiday there either. It’s lovely but it looks so cold.”
And another wrote: “It’s very impressive from the outside, but these types of interiors give me a feeling of… loneliness. They don’t feel like… anyone’s home.”
But a different user said: “God, that green is so impressive. As an interior design major, these images look like they were taken directly from the architecture/interior design history books I had to study for classes (they probably are).”
Sandringham has hosted many important events since it came into royal ownership in 1862. King George V made the first Christmas broadcast from home in 1932, and his granddaughter, Queen Elizabeth II, made the first Christmas broadcast from home. Elizabeth gave her first television speech here in 25 years. Both King George V and his son King George VI died at Sandringham.
The royal family has a number of traditions on Christmas Day, including men and women having breakfast separately before heading to church. According to former royal chef Darren McGrady, men and women eat breakfast separately on Christmas morning, then meet again on the way to church. The chef explained that royal ladies typically opt for a light breakfast in bed, consisting of “sliced fruit, half a grapefruit, toast and coffee,” while men enjoy a traditional English breakfast filled with eggs, bacon, mushrooms, black pudding, smoked fish and grilled kidneys.
Prince Harry also revealed in his 2023 autobiography that he follows a German tradition called Heiligabend Bescherung, in which gifts are given as gifts. Changed on Christmas Eve. But Prince William is reportedly planning to overhaul the way the family celebrates Christmas when he becomes King, including scrapping the tradition of handing out £5 “joke” gifts based on royal seniority.
The King’s sister Princess Anne and youngest brother Prince Edward, along with his wife Sophie and their two children, are expected to be at Sandringham this year, along with Zara and Mike Tindall and their three children. Princess Beatrice and her husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi were also reportedly invited but chose to go on a ski holiday with friends instead.
Queen Camilla’s children, Laura Lopes and Tom Parker Bowles, were also invited but reportedly declined the invitation because they only celebrate with their mother every other year. It’s unclear what Princess Eugenie’s plans are this year, although she has attended in the past.
Sandringham House and Gardens is open to visitors, but is currently closed to the public for the remainder of 2025. For more information, visit: https://sandringhamestate.co.uk/tickets/
