How does Queen Elizabeth celebrate Christmas? 10 ways the British royals get into the festive spirit, from Kate Middleton’s family celebrations to Buckingham Palace’s patriotic lightshow
- The British royal family usually spends the winter holidays at Sandringham House – but this year the queen cancelled pre-Christmas lunch due to the Omicron variant
- But Prince Harry and Meghan Markle haven’t been with the royal family since 2018, and Prince Charles even stopped taking Harry’s calls at the end of 2019
The British royal family’s plans for Christmas Day this year have not been announced, but the queen’s pre-Christmas lunch with family members has been called off.
On December 16, the BBC reported that Queen Elizabeth cancelled her traditional pre-Christmas lunch with family due to the spread of the Omicron variant. The event, which is held at Windsor Castle before the queen travels to Sandringham, also didn’t take place in 2020 due to the coronavirus.
A Buckingham Palace source told Reuters: “While there is regret that it is cancelled, there is a belief it is the right thing to do for all.”
But although that celebration might be cancelled, the royal family has still gotten into the festive spirit in other ways. We took a look at their plans this year – and what they’d typically get up to without the pandemic.
1. Sending out Christmas cards
Before Christmas, members of the royal family send out cards to extended family, friends and British politicians.
The royal family has been sending out Christmas cards for more than a century. This year, Prince William and Kate Middleton’s Christmas card featured a photo from a family trip to Jordan.
2. Celebrating at Sandringham House
