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Christmas at Sandringham is a busy few days, with many royal family traditions its members must follow. From food to a traditional walk to mass to a visit from Father Christmas, Christmastime is an exciting and exhausting time of year for the royals. However, a former royal chef says the day after the holiday is just as busy for those in the House of Windsor. Here’s why.

A former royal chef reveals what the royal family does the day after Christmas

The day after Christmas is more relaxed for the royal family than the actual holiday. This is when the clan enjoys some outdoor sports, more food, and more family time than the previous two days of celebrations.

The royals typically have a big breakfast the morning after Christmas, reported Hello! Magazine. One of the items on the menu during Queen Elizabeth’s reign was kedgeree, bacon, and eggs. Kedgeree is a dish of flaked fish, rice, and hard-boiled eggs with cream and curry powder.

Following breakfast, the men in the family go pheasant shooting. Some of the women join them while others remain at Sandringham.

Other outdoor pursuits, such as walking and horseback riding around the vast estate, are also enjoyed. An annual lunch of cold cuts and salads follows this.

To round out the day, a three-course dinner is served to the family, reports People Magazine. Darren McGrady revealed just what the family ends their Christmas holiday meal with.

He revealed that he served the royal family a Gleneagles pate or a fish course, followed by tenderloin steaks with a whisky mushroom cream sauce. Dessert might be bread-and-butter pudding or a trifle.

“We would also do a big silver tray of sliced meat from the Christmas buffet menu. Also, venison or some fish,” says McGrady.

What is Boxing Day?

The royal family celebrates Boxing Day as it originated among the British Commonwealth Nations. It is a day for parishioners to collect money for the poor.

Another tradition is that the churches in Victorian times would use it as a day to display a box outside their building to collect money for the poor. That is where the term originated.

Over the years, Boxing Day has morphed into a holiday spent with friends and family. House Beautiful reports that some households meet with extended family to celebrate Christmas if they weren’t together on Christmas Day.

Does the royal family remain at Sandringham after Christmas?

While some royal family members remain at Sandringham after Christmas, others return home or spend time with other family members. However, between the 26th and the 31st, a new series of guests typically arrive at Sandringham to celebrate New Year’s Eve.

Before the queen’s passing, the royal family would typically spend New Year’s Eve at Sandringham, where she would host a party that continued past midnight. Everyone attended the New Year’s Day service at St. Mary Magdalene Church, the same church the royals attend on Christmas Day.

Knowing that the royal family members are sticklers for tradition, it’s likely that King Charles will follow the same traditions as his late mother, Queen Elizabeth. Therefore, Sandringham will likely host a New Year’s Eve party, and church the next day will be required again.

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