Royal gatherings have been synonymous with pomp and pageantry and of luxury. But not when it comes to Christmas in Sandringham, where the Royals including Kate Middleton allegedly have to endure uncomfortable sleeping conditions overnight.
Every year senior royals and their wider family celebrate the festive season in Norfolk where they gather in one room on Christmas Eve and all attend the morning service at St. Mary Magdalene Church. The Prince of Wales said this year comprised of 45 people all spread out in one room, so you can just imagine the fun and noise.
But you also have to wonder how everyone got to sleep soundly that night after royal commentator Rebecca English shared that Sandringham lacks bed spaces. It can only comfortably fit about 16 to 18 people during a sleepover and more than that, well, the Royals would just have to be creative.
“It sounds more glamorous than it is,“ she told the Daily Mail‘s Richard Eden adding that the sleeping arrangements is so bad that the family often had to resort to disrespectful means just to have a space to sleep on.
“In fact, in previous years I’ve been told that they’ve actually had to kick staff out of their quarters. And Edward and Sophie were put in some of the staff quarters because they had nowhere else to stay,” she shared. English likewise described the beds in Sandringham as “fish finger beds” or those “old fashioned beds with the really creaky bedsprings at the bottom.” Sandringham is a massive estate with about 700 homes around it. But the actual number of bedrooms in Sandringham house is not public knowledge, although “there are thought to be about 30,” according to Eden.
He acknowledged: “That means yes, there’ll be a lot of of the Royal Family staying there this Christmas and it does mean it’s great fun. You’ve got that huge extended family opening presents together and things like that.”
Speaking of Christmas presents, the Royals normally give each other cheap and bizarre gifts. Prince Harry in his memoir Spare recalled the biro pen wrapped with a plastic fish he received from his great aunt Princess Margaret. In her first Christmas with the Royals, Meghan Markle impressed the late Queen Elizabeth II with her gift of a singing toy hamster, which she said will keep her dogs company, but they eventually ended up mauling it to pieces.
“Meghan bought a little hamster that sings with a little rope for Her Majesty. It was so funny, especially when the corgis tried to take hold of the toy,” a source said.
As to their sleeping accommodations, it’s unclear if Prince William, Kate Middleton, and their three children, Princes George and Louis, and Princess Charlotte, all slept over at Sandringham house given the large number of attendees this year. They could have decided to skip the creaking beds and chose instead to stay at their cozy beds at home in Anmer Hall.
With the house just about six minutes away from Sandringham, the family could easily just drop by for the traditional Christmas Eve gathering and re the Royals later that morning for mass. This way, they at least leave a few bed spaces free for other Royal Family to use. It’s also said that if Kate’s parents are in Norfolk, then she’d rather have a private celebration with them in Anmer Hall than endure an uncomfortable stay at Sandringham house.
Published: Dec 30, 2024 11:58 am