Shopping for gifts for the royal family for Christmas is, well, surprisingly normal, according to at least one insider who worked closely with King Charles III for years.
The monarch's former butler, Grant Harrold, recently opened up to The Mirror about the King's incredibly down-to-earth taste in Christmas gifts. According to Harrold, the number one rule for anyone shopping for Christmas gifts for Charles should be to stick to a modest budget.
"The King hates being given anything extravagant and expensive," Harrold explained. "He'd be embarrassed if you spent a fortune on him. He'd say, 'That's lovely but you really shouldn't have.' So, at Christmas, I used to give him books on Victorian gardening or honey-based products because I know how much he loves honey."
Not only do the royals like to receive affordable gifts, the former royal butler says they look for deals when they're shopping for others, too.
"Everyone assumes the royals only shop in the poshest stores. But they go to the same shops that we do," he shared. "I'm not saying they never go to Harrods – it's said the late Queen did some Christmas shopping there with her cousin (the Duchess of Kent) in the 1950s but she would often nip to her local shops in Ballater village, near Balmoral. The royals enjoy a bargain."
And bargain-hunting royal fans could spot members of The Firm out on these low-key shopping trips because all of that bargain hunting happens during regular store hours, Harrold says.
"In the past, stores would close for Princess Diana. That doesn't happen now," Harrold explained. "The royals are very discreet. They always have a bodyguard for protection, but people don't recognise them because you don't expect to see a King or a future Queen browsing in your local store."
Of course, Harrold adds that royal fans are more likely to see older generations of royals out shopping in-person because "the younger ones, especially, are very savvy with online shopping, making Christmas shopping easier."
Harrold also said that the down-to-earth vibes of royal family gift-giving extend to wrapping presents—at least for the younger royals.
"I can easily see Kate, William and even Anne wrapping their own presents but not the King," he said. "He'll have someone do that for him."
So go ahead and put "never having to wrap a gift if you don't feel like it" on the list as one more reason it's good to be King.
