What the Royal Family eats and drinks at Christmas, according to experts
The Royal Family has access to some of the best chefs - and biggest kitchens - in the UK. They own multiple palaces, after all. So it stands to reason that their Christmas spread is pretty spectacular.
From their tipple of choice to their Christmas Day breakfast, here's what we know about the monarchy's festive menu.
Christmas Eve Dinner
The main act on Christmas Eve is what Ingrid Seward of Majesty magazine called "lethal" martinis, which the royals enjoy whilst donning full black tie (it's important to be comfortable, right?).
They then exchange presents in line with their German roots, and sit down for the formal meal.
Festive royal breakfast
The royal men start as they mean to go on — according to former royal chef Darren McGrady — with a full English breakfast.
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The women, McGrady has said, tend to opt for a light, fruit-based breakfast and "maybe a boiled egg" at a push, presumably. It's a quicker option and likely provides the female royals with time to dress for their walk to St. Mary Magdalene church, where dozens of photographers await.
Christmas lunch
McGrady worked for the royals from 1982 until 1993 and cooked over seven Christmases for the family. According to him the chefs alternate so they get their own family time.
He has said prepping for Christmas is a "military operation" that begins "weeks in advance", although he has noted that the Royal Family during his tenure at the stove were actually rather predictable.
"It was the same meal every year", he has said, which Queen Elizabeth reportedly began with her favoured gin and dubonnet cocktail.
"They didn't do hams or anything, just traditional turkeys. 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.”
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During McGrady's tenure, the royal children were not allowed to sit at the grown-up table with the senior royals - instead they were relegated to the nursery "until they were old enough to conduct themselves properly at the dining table".
This might change now King Charles is the head of the family, but "for the Queen, there was never a case of putting a high chair at the table with a little baby squealing and throwing food. It was Victorian".
McGrady has compared this to a "modern-day Downton Abbey", which might make him Mrs. Patmore.
Alongside their turkey lunch and an assortment of the usual side dishes like Brussel sprouts, roast potatoes and parsnips, they would have shrimp or lobster salad and a traditional Christmas pudding, and the Queen enjoyed a sweet white wine from Germany to wash things down.
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Afterwards they head off for a walk around their 20,000 acre estate, before gathering around the television to watch the monarch's Christmas address.
Afternoon tea
According to McGrady, the royal Christmas is incomplete without a chocolate yule log during their afternoon tea.
They also enjoy some traditional Christmas fruit cake, mince pies, sandwiches and scones. One small Christmas cake would be delivered to the youngsters in the nursery, while the adults enjoyed a bigger one.
Dinner time buffet
If you can believe it, the Windsor's enjoy another Christmas meal, this time a more informal buffet although the food on offer was "opulent" according to McGrady.
"The buffet was when they brought out the whole spread. When I was there, Harrods would always give them a whole foie gras en croute. They'd have a whole Stilton cheese. We'd take the top off, pitchfork the top and pour port into it. It made this gorgeous spread for the crackers. It was really opulent. There was also a big York ham that was decorated".
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King Charles has reportedly banned foie gras from royal residences because it is unethical, so we know at least that aspect of the buffet will be different this year.
McGrady has also said that after the Head Chef had come out to carve the meats on offer the Queen would "then ask the steward to pour the Head Chef a drink and he'd get a whisky and they'd toast him and say thank you, and that was them saying thank you for the whole year".
