They never cease to amaze us, those royals.
Royals are all about traditions, but the British may take the cake here. Especially when it comes to Christmas traditions, they can’t get crazy enough. For example, it is said that within the palace walls it is customary to weigh all guests before and after Christmas dinner.
Health
Weighing family members before and after Christmas dinner to check if they have gained weight: It sounds absurd, but the editor-in-chief of Majesty Magazine, Ingrid Seward, claims this is a real thing. It seems to be a very old tradition, started by King Edward VII. He was very concerned about the health of his family. Everyone should eat enough during Christmas dinner, he thought. He could measure this by weighing everyone. The tradition has continued since then and everyone traditionally stands on the antique scales during Christmas.
Traditions
It’s not the Royal Family’s only quirky Christmas tradition. Every year, the royals send Christmas cards to organizations and individuals who, in their opinion, deserve personal, royal Christmas wishes. And there are quite a few. Reportedly, the late Queen Elizabeth signed around 850 Christmas cards every December alone. Charles and Camilla and William and Kate also send out several hundred. So everyone at Christmas dinner with cramped hands.
In addition, Christmas Eve apparently is cocktail time for the royals. Every member of the British royal family has their own favorite. For example, Queen Elizabeth is very happy with a Zaza cocktail, Charles enjoys a Cherry Brandy and William and Harry love Sandringham cider.
The silver Christmas tree should never be missing. There are always two Christmas trees at Sandringham, says former chef Darren McGrady. “A large real Christmas tree and a large, silver-colored plastic Christmas tree in the dining room, which is about thirty years old.” Waste is not done among the royals, so that fake tree will remain standing for a few decades
Source: Elegance, Glamial archive | Image: NL Image
