Christmas is an important time for the British Royal Family, with many rituals and traditions that have been maintained over the years. One of the main events is the lavish Christmas party, which takes place a few days before Christmas at Sandringham House in Norfolk. Mike Tindall, Prince Anne’s son-in-law, shares interesting details about the party.

In 2019, Mike Tindall, on his rugby podcast “The Good, The Bad & The Rugby”, talked about his experience attending a Christmas party with the Royal Family. He said that the party was very solemn, with about 70 people attending, divided into 7 tables. However, only the older and important members were allowed to sit at the same table, while the children, including Prince Louis, were arranged to eat in a separate room.

When asked jokingly by hosts James Haskell and Alex Payne about his seating position, Mike Tindall jokingly replied: “It’s a family lunch, there are seven tables so there must be about 70 of us there. The kids have their own table in another room.”

This year, King Charles III hosted a pre-Christmas party on December 19 at Buckingham Palace. The event was reserved for senior members of the Royal Family and family members who were not attending Christmas at Sandringham. Many members of the Royal Family were seen at Buckingham Palace that day, including the King and Queen, the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh, Princess Beatrice and her husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, and Princess Eugenie and her husband Jack Brooksbank.

Also present were Lord Frederick Windsor, his wife Sophie Winkleman and daughter Isabella, the Duke of Kent, Prince and Princess Michael of Kent and several other members of the Royal Family. Notably, Prince Andrew was absent from the party due to the controversy surrounding a Chinese businessman. Prince Andrew’s office said he had “ceased all contact” with the businessman as soon as concerns were raised. Prince Andrew also did not attend Christmas at Sandringham.

Meanwhile, the Prince and Princess of Wales did not attend the Buckingham Palace party, having been at Amner Hall in Norfolk for the start of the Christmas holidays. Prince Louis also appeared with his mother at the annual Christmas concert, underscoring the close relationship between the youngster and Uncle Mike.