King Charles ‘replaces’ Prince Harry as ‘Royal Family joker’ for Christmas tradition
The Royal Family has a long-standing tradition of exchanging joke gifts at Christmas - and it seems that King Charles is the one who is now carrying on the tradition
Gift-giving can be a tricky business when your loved ones already have priceless jewels, designer outfits and luxury cars. So, instead of splashing out on lavish, extravagant items, members of the Royal Family prefer to keep their seasonal gifting light-hearted.
In fact, the more humorous or ridiculous the gift, the better. “It’s a long-running tradition for the family to exchange joke gifts at Christmas, so there’s always a lot of laughter at Sandringham,” royal commentator Duncan Larcombe previously told “In the past, Prince Harry used to be the biggest joker, but now I imagine it’s Charles, who has a very strong sense of humour.”
Over the years, the gag gifts have reportedly included a leather toilet seat from Princess Anne to her older brother King Charles, while Kate is rumoured to have cheekily gifted Harry a “grow your own girlfriend kit”.
Harry, on the other hand, is said to have given the late Queen a shower cap emblazoned with “Ain’t life a b****”.
“Sometimes we imagine the royals are all very serious, but they like a good giggle like most families,” says Duncan. “Charles once said having a sense of humour is what keeps him sane, and so sharing joke presents helps lighten the atmosphere when things can otherwise be quite formal.”
“I think the King will definitely be the one playing pranks and messing about with the grandchildren at Christmas. And you can imagine that Princess Anne is a bit like the naughty auntie, with everyone wondering what she might say or do next!”
The Royal Family’s Christmas gift-giving tradition is a bit bonkers, spanning generations. Diana, Princess of Wales, once gifted her sister-in-law, Sarah, Duchess of York, a bold leopard print bath mat.
More recently, Meghan Markle gave Prince Harry a spoon engraved with “cereal killer” for their first Christmas together in 2017. However, sometimes it’s best to play it safe.
In 2016, Kate presented the late Queen with a jar of her own homemade chutney, using a recipe from her grandmother. “I was slightly worried about it, but I noticed the next day that it was on the table,” a relieved Kate shared.
Unlike most Brits, the royals exchange gifts on Christmas Eve, not Christmas Day, a nod to their German heritage. “It’s a tradition that dates back to Queen Victoria,” says ex-royal butler Grant Harrold.
“They have afternoon tea in the White Drawing Room at Sandringham, which is an absolutely beautiful room, and then they exchange silly gifts. That’s it, done.”
But, Grant reveals that more significant presents, particularly for the children, are likely exchanged on Christmas morning. “The royals are trying to do it the way everyone else does it,” he reveals. “So they’re keeping their own traditions going, with a modern twist as well. It’s a nice way to do it.”
The late Queen had a massive list of gifts to sort through, including for her numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
She would reportedly have dozens of potential gifts brought to her for her to choose from. In 1955, she was photographed leaving London’s Harrods after some Christmas shopping with her cousin-in-law, the Duchess of Kent. She also frequented shops near Balmoral, her Scottish home. “You’d often see the Queen shopping in nearby Ballater,” Grant shares.
“That being said, if a royal can’t make it to a shop in person, they have teams to assist them and it wouldn’t be unusual for someone to ask a butler, ‘Could you go and get this gift for me? ‘” One Royal who enjoys selecting items herself is Kate. “I know for a fact that she goes shopping in person and it wouldn’t surprise me if she was spotted in Harrods or Fortnum and Mason,” Grant reveals.
But has a member of the Royal Family ever made a festive gift blunder? That unfortunate honour goes to poor Diana. Unaware of the tradition for humorous gifts, on her first Christmas at Sandringham she gifted her sister-in-law, Anne, a beautiful cashmere sweater.
What did Diana receive in return? A novelty toilet roll holder. Oh, to have been a fly on the wall when she unwrapped that!
