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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Jennifer Newton

King Charles' Christmas will be 'more lavish' than Queen's 'due to his high standards'

The royals may have gathered in Sandringham for their annual family Christmas - but this will be a festive season like no other.

It is the first time they have celebrated the holiday without the late Queen - and their first time to celebrate it at their Norfolk estate.

It is likely King Charles and Queen Consort Camilla will be joined by the Prince and Princess of Wales and their children, Princess Royal and her family, and the Earl and Countess of Wessex and their children for the celebrations.

According to royal expert and author Ingrid Seward, the King will keep many of the Sandringham Christmas traditions alive.

King Charles is set to host his first royal Christmas as monarch (REX/Shutterstock)

But she believes it will be "more lavish" than his mother's celebrations due to his "immaculate high standards".

She told the Mirror: "King Charles was always a traditionalist.

"When he moved into Clarence House after his grandmother died, he kept the decor similar to hers but on a far more opulent scale.

"It will be the same at Sandringham this Christmas. The King will stick to the traditions of his mother but it will be more lavish.

"Following in the footsteps of his grandfather George VI and great grandfather George V he will fill the house with as many family members it can accommodate and everything will be done to his immaculate high standards."

Millions tuned in to watch the Queen's speech every year (PA)

As well as his immediate family, Ingrid believes there will be a host of guests invited to Sandringham - including some who will be going to Sandringham for the first time.

She explained: "His goddaughter Lady Sarah Chatto will be there with her husband and children as will her brother Lord Snowdon who has an increasingly influential role within Charles' court.

"In the past, Fergie often stayed at Wood Farm on her own while Andrew and the girls lunched with the Queen and Prince Philip.

"This year for the first time Fergie is expected to be included, along with her daughters and sons and in law while the little ones are cared for by their Norland nannies.

Charles, William, Kate, George and Charlotte on Christmas Day 2019 at Sandringham (Tom Maddick / SWNS)

"Sandringham House looks huge but the accommodation is cramped by royal standards and I suspect that the Tindall family might be put up by William and Kate at Anmer Hall while the Princess Royal and Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence stay in Sandringham House.

"This year there is the added element of Camilla’s daughter Laura and son-in-law Harry Lopez and their three children as part of the house party.

"The more the merrier is the motto and on Christmas Eve as is traditional they will open their presents which will all be laid out on trestle tables in the ballroom, each with a name as to which family member they refer.

"It's church on Christmas Day and then a lunch of turkey with all the trimmings.

Camilla with her daughter Laura, who is set to enjoy Christmas with the royals (Getty Images)

"Then when everyone is sitting quietly, they will watch the very first televised King’s Christmas speech."

Christmas at Sandringham follows a break, when, due to the Covid pandemic, the late Queen spent the festive period at Windsor Castle two years in a row

Sandringham House has been the private home of four generations of British monarchs for more than 160 years and now belongs to the King.

The late Queen celebrated the eve of her Platinum Jubilee there just seven months before her death.

It was bought in 1862 by the then Prince of Wales, who later became Edward VII, as a private country retreat.

The house was rebuilt in 1870 to ensure it was big enough for his growing family.

George V, the Queen’s grandfather, described the house as “Dear old Sandringham, the place I love better than anywhere else in the world”.

George VI, the Queen’s father, wrote: “I have always been so happy here and I love the place.”

Ingrid Seward is the author of the Queen’s Speech and editor-in-chief of Majesty magazine.

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