Prince Harry offered a rare glimpse into the royal family’s lively and somewhat chaotic Christmas celebrations at Sandringham in his memoir Spare. Released in early 2023, the Duke of Sussex shared candid details about the festive traditions that have been a hallmark of royal holiday gatherings.
Recounting a past Christmas, Harry described the family’s longstanding tradition of exchanging gifts on Christmas Eve, a nod to their German heritage. “The whole family gathered to open gifts on Christmas Eve, as always, a German tradition that survived the anglicising of the family surname from Saxe-Coburg-Gotha to Windsor,” he wrote.
The gift exchange took place in a grand room at Sandringham, where a long table adorned with white cloths and name cards marked each family member’s spot. As the evening began, each royal stood before their “mound of presents.” Then, in what Harry described as a “free-for-all,” the family dove into unwrapping gifts.
“Suddenly, everyone began opening at the same time,” Harry recounted. “A free-for-all, with scores of family members talking at once and pulling at bows and tearing at wrapping paper.”
This Christmas Eve tradition, known as Heiligabend Bescherung (Christmas Eve gift-giving), was popularised by Queen Victoria and Prince Albert and remains a cherished custom in the royal family.
Harry also revealed that he and Meghan Markle have embraced this tradition in their own celebrations. Reflecting on Christmas 2020, he shared: “We took Archie to find a Christmas tree. A pop-up lot in Santa Barbara. We bought one of the biggest spruces they had. We brought it home, set it up in the living room. Magnificent. We stood back, admiring, counting our blessings. New home. Healthy boy.”
He continued: “It was Christmas Eve. We FaceTimed with several friends, including a few in Britain. We watched Archie running around the tree. And we opened presents. Keeping to the Windsor family tradition.”
Harry also recalled one memorable gift: “One present was a little Christmas ornament of…the Queen! I roared. Meg had spotted it in a local store and thought I might like it. I held it to the light. It was Grann’s face to a T. I hung it on an eye-level branch. It made me happy to see her there. It made Meg and me smile.”
