By Molly Claire Goddard
1:01pm PST, Dec 23, 2025
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According to a source, King Charles III is more generous with his gift-giving than The Queen Mother was. "Presents are always very practical. It's probably a bit more lavish these days. Charles is very extravagant, rather like his late grandmother, the Queen Mother. The queen was pretty frugal," an insider told
Vanity Fair.
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King Charles III also ensures staffers feel like royalty. "He used to give a dinner service, matching plates, side plates and so on, but he would give bits of it at a time, so you would get the full collection if you stayed in service long enough," the source said of what his employees receive.
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While King Charles III's presents might be over-the-top, his newly instated dress code is not. "It used to be a nightmare going to Sandringham because there used to be so many outfit changes, sometimes up to six a day. But the king has relaxed that. There won't be so many changes, but everyone will wear black tie at Christmas dinner," the source said.
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While
Prince Harry and
Meghan Markle won't be in attendance,
Prince William, Kate Middleton, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and
Prince Louis will be.
Prince Edward and
Sophie,
the Duchess of Edinburgh, their children, as well as
Princess Anne and her family, will also present. "Sandringham is smaller than the other palaces, and so it's always a bit of a squash, but it's always fun and very Christmassy, and very family focused," royal expert
Ingrid Seward told the publication. "King Charles III loves bringing everyone together, and it's a proper family Christmas. There's a fair bit of juggling involved, particularly for the Wales family. I expect William, Kate and the children will be at Sandringham for the Christmas Day service alongside the king because that's an important show of togetherness."
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Two people who will not be joining the festivities include Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and Sarah Ferguson, who were stripped of their titles due to their ties to Jeffrey Epstein. Their daughters, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, were invited but will reportedly be spending the day elsewhere. "Beatrice was there last year. She then left after church and went for lunch with Sarah [Ferguson] and Andrew at Royal Lodge. I think King Charles III has been keen to show his support to his nieces during a difficult year for the York family," Ingrid Seward said.
