The Gist

• The royal family celebrates Christmas annually at Sandringham, an estate in Norfolk.

• The festivities are steeped in tradition, but one rule overrides all—you can’t be late to events.

• Adhering to the strict timetable is the “unspoken rule for guests,” royal biographer Robert Jobson said.

The royal family’s Christmas celebrations kick off tomorrow, on Christmas Eve, as members of the family begin arriving at Sandringham House, King Charles’s private country retreat in Norfolk. From there, it’s a few days full of longstanding traditions—but one rule seems to supersede all.

Whereas many of us view the holidays as a time to kick up our feet and relax with our families, while the royal family is, indeed, surrounded by blood relations, calling it relaxing would be a stretch. The royals are on what Hello! described as a “strict timetable,” and “There’s an unspoken rule for guests—do not arrive late,” veteran royal biographer Robert Jobson told the outlet.

“There is no grace period,” he continued, mentioning that the royals complete “the odd custom dating back to Edward VII of being weighed on antique jockey’s scales,” and after that happens, “guests are on the clock.”

“They change for a formal lunch, served by royal staff in the dining room,” Jobson outlined. “Afterwards, most go on an afternoon walk—one of the few moments when the schedule loosens up. But even then, they are on a timer. By 5 p.m., everyone must be back for afternoon tea.”

On the evening of December 24, the royals open presents—as opposed to lavish gifts one might expect royalty to give to one another, they give each other gag gifts, trying to make one another laugh. Then, on Christmas morning, the family takes their famous walk to St. Mary Magdalene Church on the Sandringham estate–but, as Jobson put it, “What many do not realize is that the King and his family will have been to church once already that morning for a private service, away from the cameras and onlookers.”

From there it’s their traditional Christmas lunch, which royal biographer Ingrid Seward told The Mirror takes place in Sandringham’s Green Dining Room. “There’s a long mahogany table, and the room is adorned with exotic arrangements of flowers and ferns in Victorian style,” she said. The finest crystal is brought out, as is the china. “As far as Charles is concerned, ‘What’s the point in having all this fancy stuff if it’s not used?’” The Mirror reported.

The head chef on duty has the privilege of carving the turkey before the family; when Queen Elizabeth was still alive, she would then present the head chef with a glass of whisky. “Together, they would raise a toast as a modest ‘thank you’ for their unwavering commitment to serving the family throughout the year,” according to The Mirror.

Per Hello!, the royal dining table is laid out with luxury Christmas crackers, and “Everyone, even the King, wears paper hats from inside the crackers,” Jobson explained.

After lunch, it’s the King’s annual Christmas speech at 3 p.m., which the royals traditionally all watch together on television. After a difficult couple of years, 2025 is ending “on a very positive note for the King,” Jobson said, referring to Charles’s recent news that his cancer treatment would be scaled back in 2026. “The good news regarding his health will undoubtedly lift his spirits and those of the people around him,” he added. “It will have brought reassurance to both him and his family.”

Of the King and Christmas, “It will be good for him to have a chance to relax among his loved ones,” Jobson continued (if one can call the strict timetable of Sandringham Christmas relaxing). “It will be a very special time. I’m sure he will raise a glass this Christmas to those who care for him.”

Read the original article on InStyle