Royal Family's 'boring' dinner and 'ladies' breakfasts as favourite Christmas foods revealed
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The royal family are associated with opulence, palaces, multi-million pound jewels and huge banquets – but at Christmas they are very traditional. There will be no lavish menu or exotic dishes, in fact, it is quite likely that they will be eating what many families in Britain will enjoy at home. For a kick-off, their festivities begin on Christmas Eve. Family members invited to Sandringham will be allocated staggered arrival times and as with public engagements, times reflects status – junior members arrive first and the most senior members last.
After exchanging presents and decorating the tree, the family don formal attire for the Christmas Eve dinner, where all guests are expected to wear black-tie or evening gowns. You would expect to see a six-course, candle-lit meal, with the menu often written in French – but given King Charles has embraced a certain amount of modernity, he may decide that a less formal occasion is more appropriate.
According to Nottinghamshire royal chef Darren McGrady, who worked for the late Queen Elizabeth II and Princess Diana and has cooked around seven Christmas dinners for the royal family during his career, one strange tradition is that the men and women eat separate breakfasts. Again, King Charles may not allow this early-morning ceremony and opt for something more in keeping with his own viewpoint.
However, Mr McGrady, 61, told NDTV that under the late Queen, while the men were served a full English breakfast, including eggs, bacon, mushrooms, kippers, and grilled kidneys, the royal ladies enjoy a light breakfast of "sliced fruit, half a grapefruit, toast, and coffee delivered to their rooms". The family then visit the church before returning for lunch.
