Every family has their own odd traditions, and that includes the British Royal family.
One of their bizarre rituals dates back more than a century, to the days of King Edward VII.
Queen Victoria, his mother, bought the country estate for her son and his wife, Princess Alexandra, in 1862. Edward made the house a home, with many of his touches remaining to this day – including some antique jockey’s scales
The former King, who ruled from 1901 to 1910, ensured guests would not arrive late to Christmas at Sandringham lest they miss out on the Christmas weigh-in.
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King Edward VII began the tradition when he and his wife first moved to Sandringham. (Getty)
Author Robert Jobson told HELLO! Magazine, “There’s an unspoken rule for guests: do not arrive late. There is no grace period.
“After completing the odd custom, dating back to Edward VII, of being weighed on antique jockey’s scales, guests are on the clock.”
According to Sandringham’s former house administrator Gill Pattinson on an episode of Crown and Country, the ritual began as a way to ensure that guests were well fed over the holidays.
They were weighed both when they arrived and when they left the estate to ensure that they had put on weight.
The tradition continues today, with the same set of jockey’s scales.
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The Royal party at Sandringham. Left to right: King Edward VII (1841 – 1910), Princess Louise, Duchess of Fife (1867 – 1931), Queen Alexandra (1844 – 1925), Princess Victoria of Wales (1868 – 1935), Hon. Mrs Elizabeth Charlotte Knollys, Woman of the Bedchamber to Queen Alexandra, Princess Maud, later Queen of Norway (1869 – 1938), Prince Charles, later King Haakon VII of Norway (1872 – 1957), Mrs Joseph Chamberlain and Joseph Chamberlain. (Photo by W & D Downey/Hulton Archive/Getty Images) (Getty)
A day before their annual walkabout, the royals have a Christmas weigh-in. (Samir Hussein/WireImage)
That’s not the only odd tradition the royals have.
The family has made a habit of getting celebrations out of the way on Christmas Eve rather than waiting for the big day.
Jobson adds that on December 24, “They change for a formal lunch, served by royal staff in the dining room.
“Afterwards, most go on an afternoon walk – one of the few moments when the schedule loosens up.
“But even then, they are on a timer. By 5pm, everyone must be back for afternoon tea.”
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The royals don’t wait till Boxing Day to open their presents, nor do they wait until Christmas.
In fact, the Windsor tradition is to open presents on Christmas Eve.
Prince Harry shared about the tidbit in his 2023 memoir Spare.
He spoke of celebrating Christmas in 2020, sharing, “It was Christmas Eve. We FaceTimed with several friends, including a few in Britain. We watched Archie running around the tree. And we opened presents. Keeping to the Windsor family tradition.”
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