By Katherine Tinsley
3:49pm PST, Dec 29, 2025
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Princess Diana's former butler,
Paul Burrell, revealed Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor's gag gift raised eyebrows.
"One Christmas at Sandringham, there was a dish of mixed nuts on the table, just like in any other household, with the nutcrackers beside it," Burrell said on behalf of
Casino.org.
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"Someone, I believe it was Andrew, very carefully cracked open the walnuts, removed the nut inside, and replaced it with tiny exploding novelty toys," Paul Burrell continued.
Traditionally, members of the royal family gift each other silly gifts for Christmas, but Mountbatten-Windsor's move was seen as taking things too far.
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Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor's novelty item created a mess for Paul Burrell to clean up.
"You can imagine what happened when the Queen Mother picked one up and cracked it open," Burrell shared. "The explosion sent those little things flying everywhere. I was still finding them weeks later. They were everywhere."
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The moment left the Queen Mother upset.
"She was… not very pleased at all," Paul Burrell shared.
