Christmas celebrations have always been of the utmost importance to The Queen. Never one to do things half-heartedly, we are blessed annually with an insight into the royal family’s festive activities. From The Queens annual Christmas lunch, to the release of the family Christmas cards and this year, the pictures of Prince George making Christmas pudding, it can sometimes feel like the royal family is just like us…
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Until we get to the gifts. As reported by Tatler, a former aid to the family revealed that The Queen purchases approximately 620 gifts each year for her family and staff. Yes, you read that correctly. Before you get ahead of yourself, that doesn’t even include the Christmas cards she pens personally, which alone, total to 750. The total cost is sure to give you a shock, so we recommend sitting down for this one. It’s been reported that Her Majesty typically foots a Christmas gifting bill that nears £30,000 (approximately AU$56,700).
The former royal staffer also disclosed that members of the royal household are instructed to meet The Queen in one of Buckingham Palace’s state rooms – a tradition instigated by The Queen’s grandfather, King George V – to receive their gifts and corresponding cards.
“… they line up to receive a wrapped gift from The Queen, and she says a few words to each of them – usually something like ‘Thank you so much for all your help during the year’, followed by ‘happy Christmas,’” the source noted.
With the new year creeping around the corner, I think it’s pretty clear what one of our major goals will be… making it to the top of The Queen’s annual gift-giving list for 2020.
