Afternoon tea is a staple in the royal household, even on Christmas Day! The Queen and her family enjoy feasting on delicious foods just as much as the rest of us – and they certainly don't do things by halves.
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Former royal chef Darren McGrady, who has worked for the Queen and Princess Diana, has cooked around seven Christmas dinners in his career. See what festive foods the royal family eat for breakfast, lunch, dinner and afternoon tea...
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What does the royal family eat for breakfast on Christmas Day?
To kick off a day full of decadent foods, the royals eat a full English breakfast. Start as you mean to go on, right? They then traditionally visit church before returning for lunch.
What does the royal family eat for Christmas lunch?
"It was the same meal every year," Darren has previously told HELLO!. "They're actually boring when it comes to festivities! 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."
Darren McGrady cooked around seven Christmas dinners in his career
While the Queen and senior royals would dine in the main room, the young Princes and Princesses would eat in the nursery, looked after by their nannies.
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"The children always ate in the nursery until they were old enough to conduct themselves properly at the dining table," said Darren. "So 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. The children's place was in the nursery and Nanny would take care of them. It's your modern-day Downton Abbey."
Traditional foods such as turkey, stuffing and roast potatoes are served at Christmas
The family would dine on "turkey, different stuffings – sage and onion, chestnut – and the traditional sides like roast potatoes, mash potatoes, parsnips and Brussels sprouts," added Darren, and then Christmas pudding for dessert.
"The pudding was made in pudding basins, turned out, decorated in holly, doused in brandy and then the palace steward would carry it, flaming, into the royal dining room," said Darren. "It was so traditional."
After lunch the royals would go for a walk around Sandringham Estate, then come back to watch the Queen's speech.
What does the royal family eat for Christmas afternoon tea?
Royal children sit in a different room for Christmas lunch
"Not long after they'd go in for afternoon tea," said Darren. "It was always the chocolate Yule log, which was a twist on the chocolate birthday cake, scones, mince pies, different types of sandwiches and the Christmas cake.
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"We'd make one big Christmas cake for the Queen and the royal family and then another smaller one for the nursery for Prince William, Prince Harry, Zara, Peter, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie. It was always fruit cake – royal icing, marzipan and the traditional fruit cake."
What does the royal family eat for Christmas dinner?
The last meal of the day would be the evening buffet, which Darren describes as "even more elaborate" than lunch. It was also the only time the Head Chef would go into the dining room to carve the meat.
The Cambridges previously attending the Christmas Day church service
"The buffet was when they brought out the whole spread," said Darren. "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.
"Then after carving all of the meat, 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."
Previous royal dinner menus have included mince pies and brandy butter
Darren, author of Eating Royally, also worked for the late Princess Diana until her death in 1997. He saw the boys, William and Harry, grow up at Kensington Palace. His favourite memories, naturally, involve the People's Princess. "I always used to enjoy when Princess Diana was there," said Darren. "She'd come into the kitchen and she used to love the crepe soufflé dessert. I'd always put that on the menu because I knew it was her favourite.
"She would have lunch and then – bless her – she would come down into the kitchen once everyone had left the table and say, 'Ooh, is there any of the crepe soufflé left?' When the tray came back I'd always put it in the warmer because I knew she'd be down. She said, 'I love this pudding and I'm too scared to ask for seconds in front of the Queen!'"
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