George, Charlotte and Louis don't have to wait until Christmas Day for their presents

On Christmas morning, most children can't wait to run from their bedrooms to see what presents Santa Claus has left for them and rip them open.

But for royal children like Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, they don't have to wait until the big day for some of their gifts.

And it's all down to a royal family tradition.

They normally exchange and open their presents on Christmas Eve, a legacy of the German heritage of the monarchy.

Former royal chef Darren McGrady said: "The royals are of German descent so they weave in German traditions to their celebrations.

"After afternoon tea, they open gifts on Christmas Eve, as is the German tradition."

Prince William and Kate Middleton with their children George, Charlotte and Louis (Getty Images)

So the Cambridge children will have already opened some of their presents before most other British kids.

However, in 2018, the Duchess of Cambridge did reveal George and Charlotte had been "up early" opening presents on Christmas Day itself.

So maybe they open their presents that come from Santa on Christmas Day like other kids?

However, there is one type of present that Kate apparently likes to buy for her kids - and that's practical gifts.

Kate is thought to prefer to buy practical gifts for her children (PA)

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According to one royal expert, Kate is mindful not to lavish extravagant tech gifts on her children.

That's because she'd reportedly prefer to get them practical presents so they don't end up having too much screen time.

Royal author and expert Katie Nicholl told OK! : "George enjoys his iPad at school, both he and Charlotte are quite tech-savvy and, like most children, there probably are technical gadgets and such like on their wish list.

"I'm sure they're not going to want for anything, but when it comes to technology and screens, they are careful not to spoil them with extravagant gifting."

Katie added: "If it is something that happens to be a computer game or something like that then they are cautious of screen time so it could be a more practical gift."