By Molly Claire Goddard
10:12am PST, Dec 26, 2025
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According to former butler
Paul Burrell, Queen Elizabeth II didn't go to stores like normal people. "Firstly, she had catalogues sent to her, and then the Oxford Street branch of John Lewis sent her a selection of almost everything they stock," he told
Closer magazine. "There is a little 'shop' set up in the drawing room at Windsor Castle and the Queen would pop in and choose gifts at her leisure. Late at night, after dinner, usually around 10 p.m., she'd pop into her little Christmas shop and do some shopping."
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Queen Elizabeth II was always thoughtful in the presents she gave her family members. "The Queen always chose practical gifts that can be used. Never ornaments or decorative things," Paul Burrell said. "She might have picked some picnic plates, a tablecloth, or a couple of hand towels. Then they were wrapped up, and a truckload of presents was ready to go to Sandringham."
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Like her daughter,
The Queen Mother did not go overboard with Christmas gifts. "Presents are always very practical. It's probably a bit more lavish these days," an insider told
Vanity Fair.
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King Charles III has initiated grander gift-giving since ascending the throne. "Charles is very extravagant, rather like his late grandmother, the Queen Mother. The queen was pretty frugal," the insider said.
