The Royal Family officially kicked off the holiday season with Princess Kate’s annual Together at Christmas concert on Friday, December 5, and as the royals look forward to Christmas at Sandringham, one former butler is giving insight into the family’s gifts.
The royals follow the German tradition of exchanging presents on Christmas Eve instead of Christmas Day, and they famously give silly gag gifts to each other—like the time Prince Harry gave Queen Elizabeth a shower cap reading “Ain’t Life a Bitch.” But King Charles’s former butler at Highgrove, Grant Harrold, reveals the royals also share meaningful gifts on Christmas Day.
Speaking to Slots Temple, Harrold explains that after the “light-hearted, joke gifts on Christmas Eve,” the Royal Family tends to “give more meaningful presents” on December 25. “These can include heirloom pieces—jewelry passed down from the late Queen, the Queen Mother, or Princess Diana to The King or Prince William, and then on to Camilla or Catherine,” he says.
The Royal Butler author continues, “There’s still a large amount of personal jewelry in the family that hasn’t been publicly seen, so passing on heirlooms is very likely.”
Although it certainly wasn’t a personal gift, Princess Kate did dig into the royal archives for a state banquet earlier this week, wearing Queen Victoria’s Oriental Circlet Tiara from 1853. She's also worn sentimental pieces of jewelry from Princess Diana, like the diamond-and-sapphire earrings she wore to welcome Germany's president and first lady on Wednesday.
Harrold says that Prince William, Prince Harry and The King also “buy from modern jewelers,” so “gifts could easily include both antiques and contemporary designs.”
The former butler worked closely with The King and Queen Camilla over the years when they were known as the Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall, previously telling Marie Claire he witnessed “how happy [Camilla] made him, how great she was with him, how she makes him laugh and smile and giggle..."
Harrold says that Her Majesty “favors pearl necklaces, classic earrings and brooches, much like the late Queen,” stating those items as “the most likely gifts.” He continues that for Prince William, his ideal gift to Kate is “almost certainly jewelry,” such as “earrings, necklaces, bangles, or a small brooch.”
In addition to jewels, Harrold shares that Prince William “might also give something for the home, especially since William and Kate have recently moved.”
Perhaps some new furniture for Forest Lodge is on Kate’s wish list, as lip reader Nicola Hickling revealed that the Princess of Wales discussed her home renovations with Germany’s first lady, Elke Büdenbender, during the state visit on Wednesday.
