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The Royal Family’s annual Christmas at Sandringham always produces a series of pictures of poise and tradition as they all walk to church together.
But behind the polished smiles, the festive season for the family has not always been merry.
Over the years, the private estate in Norfolk has been the scene of royal rows, awkward conversations and holiday surprises.
Now the Daily Mail’s Richard Eden has studied the photo evidence of the grand event in a special Christmas episode of the new YouTube series – Reading The Royals.
He takes viewers inside the drama, delights and secrets of the annual Christmas gathering, and reveals what really goes on behind the doors of Sandringham.
There have been many ups and downs during the years as members of the family fall out, give birth and get married, which is explored in its entirety in the latest episode.
Starting in 1936, he looks at the first pictures of Royal Family at the estate, which were taken just two weeks after one of its greatest scandals: the abdication of King Edward VIII.
The grainy black and white photo shows King George VI joined by Queen Elizabeth, the young Princess Elizabeth and Princess Margaret.
The Daily Mail’s Richard Eden has studied the photo evidence of Christmas with the Royal Family for a special episode of the new YouTube series – Reading The Royals
Prince Charles pictured with his sons, Prince William and Prince Harry taking part in the famous walk to the Christmas Day service at Sandringham Church in 1992
Princess Diana wearing a red coat and a broad-brimmed hat at Sandringham on Christmas Day in 1993
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle pictured celebrating their last Christmas with the royals in 2018
Eden then explains that Christmas at Sandringham became a permanent tradition in the 1980s after the Queen moved there while Windsor Castle was being rewired.
When Diana married Charles and started attending she generously bought a cashmere sweater and other luxury items for her in-laws, only to discover that the key to success in royal present-giving is humour, not generosity.
Joke gifts, the cheaper the better, are the order of the day.
A few years later in a sign of Diana’s closeness to Prince Andrew’s wife Sarah Ferguson, she gave her a leopard print bath mat.
But as the years progressed and her marriage broke down, Diana started to dread going to Sandringham.
In 1994, two years after officially separating from Charles, the Daily Mail’s Richard Kay reported that Diana felt she had received a ‘frosty’ reception from the other royals.
She left 30 minutes after the church service ended as she was due to visit a homeless shelter, but later cancelled after it was revealed photographers had been tipped off.
Diana said of that day: ‘If I had been photographed as some sort of lady bountiful, my husband’s family would have been in uproar, accusing me of a stunt.’
In 1936 one of the first pictures of the Royal Family at the estate was taken just two weeks after one of its greatest scandals: the abdication of King Edward VIII
Princess Diana on her way to Sandringham Church with Prince William in 1994. She left 30 minutes after the church service ended
Prince Philip, Prince Charles, Prince Harry, Princess Diana, Prince Andrew, and Sarah, Duchess of York, attend the Christmas Day church service in 1991
A few years later in 1999, after Charles and Diana divorced, there was a dollop of seasonal ill-will after a row broke out over who got the best bedroom.
As his younger brother Edward was now married to Sophie, the divorced heir to the throne was forced to give up his favourite room and downgrade to smaller quarters.
Royal ladies have an automatic right to a dressing room due to the range of outfits required, and single men — even those who are heir to the throne — must give way.
Charles, who has a deep need for his creature comforts, was furious, but the Queen’s rules at the Christmas gathering, where space can be tight, had to be obeyed, according to Kay.
But in 2005, after eventually marrying Camilla, Charles was able to reclaim his favourite room, with one former courtier telling the Daily Mail at the time that he was ‘especially happy’.
Fast forward to Christmas 2024, and it is looking like it will be another momentous year for the Royal Family.
There will be 45 members of the family gathering for the annual festivities – including for the first time the King’s stepchildren – though Prince Andrew is not expected to attend.
It comes after one of the most challenging years for the Windsors.
Not only is King Charles still being treated for an undisclosed form of cancer, but his daughter-in-law Kate had gruelling treatment for the same disease following major surgery last January.
In a sign of Diana’s closeness to Fergie (pictured together in 1988), she gave her a leopard print bath mat
Prince William, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, Prince Louis and Catherine, Princess of Wales on December 25, 2022
And if that wasn’t enough suffering for a year, Queen Camilla contracted pneumonia after travelling to Australia and Samoa.
But Eden describes how the photos show, through all the ups and downs over the years, that family is what truly matters.
Despite everything, the royals come together to show each other love, warmth, and support.
Each year the family changes but the holiday season remains a time for unity and togetherness.
To get the full story of the royals at Christmas, watch the special episode of Reading the Royals now.
- Sign up for Richard Eden’s Royal Newsletter. Click here.
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DON’T MISS Reading the Royals, the Mail’s must-see royal analysis show
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