Royal Family shares Gingerbread House baking video

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Christmas dos with the Royal Family can be just like being at an office party, albeit a really well-behaved one. This is according to a former butler who has lifted the lid about the festive times he shared with the family when he worked for then-Prince Charles.

Grant Harrold joined the Royal household when Prince William and Prince Harry were teenagers, so they were not running around in Father Christmas and elf outfits.

But he recalls that they still were always excited about Christmas and had a really good time celebrating.

Speaking to Slingo, Mr Harrold said: “Christmas was always exciting and I remember being around William, Harry and Kate Middleton. I remember on one of my first Christmases I got invited to a party at St James Palace.

“It was a sit-down meal and I sat down with Prince William for lunch. It was hysterical and we had such a laugh! There were lots of giggling, jokes and party stuff going on. It was nice to see him enjoy the fun aspect of Christmas. It was just like a work Christmas do, but I’ve got to say everyone was well behaved.”

He added: “It was unique and surreal for me to be working for them and sitting down for lunch with Prince William, even though he was only in his early twenties.

“I saw it as a big deal to be sitting with the future King and having lunch with him. They all get excited about it.

“Obviously, I think back then they were still doing military training, so they got time off, which was exciting.

“Then they would all go off to Sandringham together and do Christmas with the Queen. The Queen was very strict about that and liked the family being together.”

Now the Queen is no longer with us, Mr Harrold says he thinks it will be a difficult time for the Royal Family.

And he says he thinks King Charles will probably keep most of the Queen’s traditions, but with a question mark about how he will spend the new year.

He said: “The Queen and Prince Philip loved Christmas. It was all about the family, getting together and celebrating. I think they’ll want to get together for her memory.

“The interesting bit will be that the Queen famously stayed at Sandringham and the decorations apparently stayed up until she left, but I don’t see the King doing that.”

He added: “King Charles traditionally goes up to Scotland for the New Year, but this is where there could be a big change.

“He might surprise everybody and copy the Queen by staying at Sandringham for a month after, or he might go up to Scotland.”

“Like the Queen, he enjoys Christmas and is very religious. I think it’s going to be very important for him to keep all the traditions that the Queen had.

“Whatever happens, I think it will determine what happens in the future.

“I believe he will still go to Sandringham and ask the family to come together at Christmas. Whether that tradition will continue into the future, who knows?

“He might change it, but especially after the year they’ve had, I think he will be keen to have the family together for a big Christmas.

“It wouldn’t surprise me if we see them heading off to Sandringham as normal. I think it will be very much a reflective one this year.

“He might suddenly shake everything up after this one, but Charles has always gone to Sandringham since the 90s. He’s somebody who likes tradition.”

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There’s usually someone in a family who does not really enjoy the festive season but Mr Harrold says this is not the case with the Royals.

He said: “I’m pleased to say there were no scrooges – not even Prince Philip!

“They are all Christmas oriented from what I saw. I used to get gifts from King Charles and he once gave me China cups and beautiful glass tumblers.

“We always got bits and pieces. He used to give all sorts of things, like one year I got a tin of salmon.

“It was funny little things, but maybe something where he’d thought, ‘Oh, Grant may like that.’”

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