The royal family’s Christmas break in Sandringham isn’t filled with a lot of downtime.
According to the late Queen Elizabeth’s dresser and aide, Angela Kelly, Sandringham fills with a lively set of guests, including family and friends during the season’s celebrations.
“Like Balmoral, Sandringham is for holidays, although spending time at either house isn’t all that relaxing, as there is a lot to do and many events to attend,” Kelly wrote in her 2019 book “The Other Side of the Coin,” per People.
“The house is buzzing, and I love to hear the children running around, laughing and playing,” she wrote of the 20,000-acre home and grounds. “It looks magical, too, with the tree and all the Christmas decorations.”
Last year, Prince William confirmed that’s still the case while laying out his 2024 holiday plans.
“We’ll be in Norfolk, at Sandringham,” he said while visiting with soldiers and their families in England in December 2024, per People. “We’ll be 45 for Christmas. It won’t be quiet, it will be noisy.”
Prince Harry — who quit his royal family duties alongside wife Meghan Markle in 2020 to move to Montecito, Calif. — gave further insight into the royal family’s traditions at Sandringham in his 2023 memoir “Spare.”
“The whole family gathered to open gifts on Christmas Eve, as always, a German tradition that survived the anglicizing of the family surname from Saxe-Coburg-Gotha to Windsor,” he wrote.
A black-tie evening soirée for the royal family follows, with church service on Christmas Day at St. Mary Magdalene Church, followed by a mid-day celebratory meal.
Queen Elizabeth — who died in 2022 at age 96 — held a tradition of spending the holidays at the English countryside home, which the royals have owned since 1862.
King Charles has carried on the tradition, arriving in the area just before Christmas and enjoying an extended break following the celebrations, typically for several days.
His mother made a habit of staying till much later, departing just after the anniversary of the death of her father, King George VI on Feb. 6.
During the festivities, shooting parties for the royals at the grounds of the private country retreat are commonly held.
Kelly wrote in 2019 that the weather in the area — about 100 miles north of London — “can change so quickly around Sandringham.”
“It can be beautiful one day and freezing the next,” she penned.
As the queen’s dresser, Kelly had her eye on the weather while crafting outfits for the late monarch.
King Charles’ elder son, Prince William, and his wife Kate Middleton’s Amner Hall sits nearby, and William is said to enjoy pheasant shooting during the season, as well.
