Why Royal Family members get weighed when they arrive for Christmas (2024)
Like every family who celebrates Christmas, the royals have their traditions. But there's one, highlighted last year, that raised both questions and eyebrows.
In Spencer, a film based on Princess Diana starring Kirsten Stewart, the characters are seen being weighed before and after their Christmas dinner.
While critically acclaimed, it was one part of the highly stylised film that is said to be accurate amongst a host of fictionalisations.
The Royal Family has taken part in this tradition for decades - reportedly since the early 1900s. Supposedly, the point of the tradition is to see how much everyone enjoyed their food, and make sure that all the guests were given enough to eat. The idea being that if they had been well fed, they'd have put a couple of pounds on.
Started by Edward VII, guests under the late Queen Elizabeth would weigh themselves upon their arrival on antique scales, before doing the same at the end of their time at Sandringham.
Watch:How Many of These Royal Christmas Traditions Does Your Family Practise?
It may well not have been a Christmas custom that the late Diana would have taken part in happily, as she was open about her struggles with bulimia.
How are the Royal Family spending Christmas this year?
The Windsors are set to spend Christmas together at Sandringham, as was the long held tradition under Queen Elizabeth.
As it's the family's first festive season without their matriarch, it is bound to look a little different for the royals and the extended family are able to gather for the first time since the pandemic began.
Beforehand, Charles and Camilla will hold another lunch celebrating Christmas in Windsor, which the wider family are invited to. Camilla's two children, Tom, 47, and Laura, 44 are reported to have been invited to Sandringham this year, the first time the monarch has officially celebrated with a blended family.
It will be the first time in decades that it is a King's Christmas Speech, instead of the Queen's, and reports have claimed that it will be "different" from how the Queen used to approach it the annual address.
It isn't likely that Meghan and Harry will be joining their relatives at Sandringham, after the recent release of their Netflix documentary series saw them level some serious accusation at the royal institution, including that aides working for Prince William briefed the press negatively against the Sussexes.
Harry's upcoming memoir, Spare, is poised to be released just a couple of weeks after Christmas, and Yahoo understands he is scheduled to appear on 60 Minutes with Anderson Cooper to promote the book.
Whether Prince Andrew will attend King Charles' private Christmas festivities is unclear, it seems however very unlikely the Duke of York will be invited to attend the church service at Sandringham and take part in the traditional photo op.
After their visit to the church, the Royal Family are said to return back to Sandringham for their Christmas lunch — traditionally entering the dining room in order of seniority whilst Queen Elizabeth II was head of the family.
Then they take a walk together as a family, before enjoying afternoon tea and an evening meal. Even if King Charles decides to do away with the tradition of weighing his guests, it seems pretty likely they'll be well fed after all that.
While it appears to be an odd thing to do, it is reported the royal family has taken part in this tradition for decades. The tradition is said to have started in the early 1990s and the point of it was to see how much everyone enjoyed their food and to make sure guests had eaten enough.
Yes, there really is a long-standing tradition in which the queen asks her guests to step on the ol' scale after Christmas dinner to ensure that everyone “enjoyed themselves” — that is, gained weight.
It's been reported that on arriving at the lavish Sandringham Estate, where the royals spend most of their Christmases, an antique scale is brought out for each guest to be weighed before they can consume the sumptuous holiday dinner.
The ritual apparently dates back to the early 1900s when King Edward VII was concerned people weren't eating enough. The weigh-in applies to everyone, meaning Meghan Markle and her mother Doria Ragland, who is reportedly attending, could have to step on the scales.
In the film, the characters are seen getting weighed before and after their Christmas dinner. While it appears to be an odd thing to do, it is reported the royal family has taken part in this tradition for decades.
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According to Elizabeth Holmes' book, "HRH: So Many Thoughts on Royal Style," the Queen's outfits are recorded, and repeats are purposely spaced out. After she's worn it a second or third time, the outfit is either reworked into a new design or reserved to only wear in private.
Like many households, Christmas Day in the royal family has long been marked by an extravagant consumption of festive food and drinks. The weighing ritual was designed by the Edwardian king as a symbolic display of enjoyment, with each guest's apparent level of indulgence displayed on the scales after the day's events.
As we saw in the film, guests were forced to weigh in before and after Christmas dinner (what is this, The Biggest Loser?) to prove they gained at least three pounds during the holidays, and therefore properly indulged.
In the past, the now-departed Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip and their children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren take part in their gift exchange on Christmas Eve rather than Christmas Day, in a nod to their German ancestry.
When Prince William and Kate Middleton were married, Queen Elizabeth gave them a particularly nice gift: a property on the royal family's Sandringham estate in Norfolk. Ever since, they've been enjoying Anmer Hall, both as a permanent residence at times and as a country retreat.
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Seat belts are not required in a Royal procession. There are other times when security may require a quick exit from the the car, a seat belt would hinder that. When they have a police escort there will be outriders that close every side road until the Royal car has gone past.
The Royal Family has taken part in this tradition for decades - reportedly since the early 1900s. Supposedly, the point of the tradition is to see how much everyone enjoyed their food, and make sure that all the guests were given enough to eat.
As we saw in the film, guests were forced to weigh in before and after Christmas dinner (what is this, The Biggest Loser?) to prove they gained at least three pounds during the holidays, and therefore properly indulged.
Harry said his wife, Meghan Markle, suggested the queen's gift. The Duke of Sussex revealed: “My grandmother asked us what Archie wanted for Christmas. Meg said a waffle maker.” Harry added, “So [Queen Elizabeth] sent us a waffle maker for Archie.
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