The Prince and Princess of Wales have taken on a sweet tradition started by the late Queen and according to a royal expert, treat their staff ‘like family’
With all their wealth and status, giving back to those less fortunate over the festive season has become increasingly important to the senior royals. “ Christmas is an opportunity for the family to turn the spotlight on the most vulnerable sectors of society,” says royal broadcaster Katie Nicholl. “It’s something they do every day of their working lives, but the festive period is a time they can really showcase it. It’s an important time to recognise the work of the charities and causes they support, as well as the people who work within them.”
With the rising cost of living continuing to burden households, the work of the King Charles III Charitable Fund has rarely felt so vital – especially at Christmas. Central to the charity is his Coronation Food Project, launched on Charles’s 75th birthday in November 2023 with the aim of reducing food waste across Britain.
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The project works with farmers and supermarkets including Sainsbury’s, Tesco and Asda, plus food manufacturers, to divert food that would otherwise be thrown away and deliver it to communities in need. In its first year, it saved 940 tonnes of surplus food – enough for more than two million meals – and raised £15 million to establish food hubs and distribute grants to frontline charities. Last November, Charles said the success of the project brought him “genuine joy” after a “challenging year” of health issues.
While the Coronation Food Project represents the new face of royal benevolence, the family maintain more familiar traditions in the season of goodwill, too. Each year the Sandringham Estate donates firs and spruces to decorate Westminster Abbey, St Paul’s Cathedral and Canongate Kirk in Edinburgh.
Local schools and churches near Sandringham also receive trees – a custom dating back to Queen Victoria’s husband Prince Albert who arranged for Christmas trees to be gifted to schools and army barracks.
Supporting children’s charities is another established part of the season. Each year at Clarence House, Queen Camilla welcomes youngsters from two charities to help decorate one of the royal trees.
They are usually invited from Helen & Douglas House, a hospice for terminally ill children, and Roald Dahl’s Marvellous Children’s Charity, which provides specialist nurses for children with serious illnesses.
“It’s one of the loveliest royal engagements of the year,” says royal commentator Richard Palmer. “It’s become a real tradition and there’s always such a warm atmosphere at Clarence House. You can see how much it means to Camilla to support children with life-limiting illnesses and their families, and she is a great host.”
In December, the Princess of Wales will once again host her Together At Christmas carol service at Westminster Abbey. First held during the pandemic, it has become a key fixture of the royal calendar, honouring unsung heroes like volunteers, key workers and community champions through carols sung by candlelight and special readings.
“It’s Kate’s way of paying tribute to the various charities she works with and the causes she champions,” says Richard. “It allows her to let the nation know about some of the issues she thinks are really important.”
Kate has also been keen to support baby banks in the past, particularly at Christmas. During a visit to Barnet in north London in November 2023, she helped volunteers organise a Christmas grotto of gifts, personally donating 50 copies of the classic book, The Owl Who Was Afraid Of The Dark by Jill Tomlinson.
Prince William usually turns his attention to homeless charities in the Christmas run-up – some 30 years after first being inspired by his mother, Princess Diana. On a visit last December to The Passage, a shelter in central London, he donned a white apron and grabbed a large spoon to help serve Christmas lunch.
Festive giving is not limited to the public, and William and Kate are reported to treat their staff “like family” at Christmas. “They normally throw a party for their staff at a nice restaurant in London,” says Richard.
“And Queen Elizabeth used to take her closest staff to the Goring Hotel for lunch – people like her personal dresser and those providing domestic support.” In the past, the late Queen would famously also distribute 1,500 Christmas puddings to staff, which in later years came from Tesco’s Finest range.
These days, the family still like to recognise their staff during the festive season. “Usually there’s some sort of staff Christmas bash, where they all line up and get presents from the monarch,” adds Richard.
Employees who have served at least a year can typically expect to receive a gift token or book voucher, while the King has reportedly also kept alive a Highgrove tradition of slipping small presents into staff lockers. According to former butler Grant Harrold, these have included tins of salmon, salt and pepper grinders, teacups and whisky glasses.
Elsewhere within the family, the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh have become increasingly visible at Christmas, too. In December 2023, Sophie joined 200 Ukrainian refugees for a Christmas party at The Lighthouse charity in Surrey, serving lunch and trying her hand at face painting.
And as Patron of Wellbeing of Women and Shooting Star Children’s Hospices, she attended events last year tied to the Big Give’s Christmas Challenge, which raised a record-breaking £44.7million in 2024.
Just as willing to get stuck in, Prince Edward took part in Cash for Kids NI’s Mission Christmas last December, helping wrap presents for children who might otherwise wake up on Christmas morning with nothing to open.
Edward and Sophie have also hosted Christmas charity dinners at their Bagshot Park home in the past. “The Edinburghs have become key players in the royal family and are so important nowadays,” says Richard.
“There was a time when senior royal sources thought there might not be a role for them, but that has all changed. When the King was initially diagnosed with cancer and while William was looking after his family during Kate’s treatment, they really came to the fore.
“It seems clear that when William becomes king, he’ll have a lot of time for Edward and Sophie, too. They will have prominent roles in an even smaller group of working royals than we’ve got now.”
Though they have often faced accusations of aloofness and being removed from real life, the modern royals certainly seem committed to showing the nation that they care. And at this time of year, their small acts of kindness could not be more welcome.
