Why Do Prince William And Kate Middleton Have To Be Weighed By The Queen On Christmas?
Prince William and Kate Middleton will be heading to Queen Elizabeth's Sandringham Estate in Norfolk for the Christmas holiday. According to the royal family's official website, there are several traditions that have been kept alive over the years, from gift giving on Christmas Eve to attending church service on Christmas morning. William has been spending Christmas in Sandringham since he was just a child, and has been carrying on the tradition with is wife and their three children over the past several years. In 2020, the queen and her husband Prince Philip decided against going to Sandringham, opting to spend a quiet day at Windsor Castle in an effort to avoid large crowds, and to stay extra safe during the coronavirus pandemic, according to Express.
However, the queen is expected to host Christmas in 2021, despite some recent health concerns. Though she has been told to rest by her doctors, she was cleared to travel, and made a weekend trip to Sandringham Estate in early November, according to People magazine. The queen is expected to return to Norfolk in December, where she will likely stay until February. As the family gathers together for their first Christmas without Prince Philip, things may look a bit different this year. But there's no doubt that the queen will carry on various traditions. For example, guests will be weighed before and after the Christmas meal. Keep reading to find out why.
Queen Elizabeth wants to be sure that her guests are 'well fed'
Every family has its own traditions around the holidays, and the British royal family is no different. However, the traditions that the queen has kept year after year may be a bit different than what you and your family do. According to The Sun, the queen actually weighs her guests before and after their Christmas meal to ensure that they are "well fed." Yes, you read that right. The bizarre tradition was revealed by royal expert Ingrid Seward during an interview with Grazia in 2018.
Other Christmas traditions outlined by The Sun seem a bit more relatable. Well, except for the fact that the queen has a personalized menu for her corgis. Oh, and the "black tie banquet" that is a feast for the family. Of course, there's also the fact that the royal family arrives in order of least to most important. "Royal protocol being what it is, it's all worked out according to precedence and seniority, with the most junior and least important arriving first and Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge [and their children], the last to turn up," royal author Brian Hoey told Wales Online in 2014. Just like what happens at your house, right?