King Charles' 'Funny' Gift-Giving: Monarch Enjoys Bestowing His Staff With 'Bizarre' Presents for Christmas
King Charles enjoys giving 'gag' gifts for Christmas.
King Charles III and other senior British royals like to gift one another "gag" gifts for Christmas, but the monarch reportedly likes to do the same for his staff!
"We all used to have these pigeon holes where I'd get my post in the mornings, and what he used to do at Christmas, he used to leave funny little things," the King's former butler Grant Harrold spilled.
King Charles III delivering his first Christmas Speech at St George's Chapel on the grounds of Windsor Castle in December 2022.
"One time he left a tin of salmon, and one year I got a salt and pepper grinder wrapped in a ribbon. He had probably been given a hamper, and sometimes there would be a lot in them, and he would give some of the bits to us. I just thought it was so bizarre because you don't expect those little things. It shows that they've got that fun, practical side to them," Harrold added.
The former palace aide further observed how cards were a favorite of staff members each holiday season. "At Christmas, we would always get the famous Christmas card. Before he was married to the now Queen Consort, I remember getting Christmas cards from him, William and Harry, and that was always quite special," he said.
Harrold concluded: "For actual, proper gifts, [it] would be things like tea cups and saucers or whiskey glasses. One year I got a lovely water jug."
Although the gag gift tradition is likely to continue, the monarch is also set to continue his mother's custom of buying gifts for all of his staff.
Some reports speculate that Sarah Ferguson may have received an invite from King Charles and Queen Camilla to spend Christmas at Sandringham House.
The late Queen Elizabeth II was known for buying roughly 600 gifts for her staff each Christmas. She also ensured that 1,500 Christmas puddings were given to workers throughout the numerous royal residences.
This insight comes as the King and Queen Camilla are set to leave for Sandringham House in Norfolk to host their second royal Christmas of Charles III's reign. Like last year, the sovereign is expected to maintain most of his mother's decades-long traditions while also making a few modifications of his own, which will become the new normal.
The Queen has invited her two children and grandchildren to join the royals, and it is rumored that Sarah Ferguson may also be in attendance for the first time since the early 1990s. Furthermore, it is reported that the monarch wants Christmas Eve dinner and Christmas Day lunch to be served in the house's grand ballroom instead of the dining room.
Many of the modern Christmas traditions of the royal family find their origins during customs observed during the reign of Queen Victoria in the nineteenth century.
Despite the royal sense of humor regarding presents, the holiday menu has been labeled as "boring" by a former cook that used to help create it.
"They're actually boring when it comes to festivities. They didn't do hams or anything, just traditional turkeys," former royal chef Darren McGrady told an outlet.
"We did three turkeys for the Queen and her family in the royal dining room, one for the children's nursery, and then more for the 100 or so staff, so everyone had a Christmas lunch," McGrady added when discussing his time working as a chef for Elizabeth II.
King Charles III is expected to remain at Sandringham House until mid-January.
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Daily Express reported on Harrold's comments.
