The Royal Family do indulge in the festive spirit and are known to take part in Christmas rituals like eating turkey, attending a church service and giving each other presents. But the Queen has an annual Christmas ritual of her own.

‘Tis the season of giving

Every year the Queen gives the 1,500 members of staff at Buckingham Palace and elsewhere a sweet gift.

The workers will each receive a Tesco’s Finest Christmas Pudding, which has matured for 12 months.

In the past, the pudding was purchased from either Harrods or Fortnum & Mason – which holds a Royal Warrant as grocers.

The Tesco pud is priced at £6 – that’s £2.25 cheaper than the Harrods option.

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The staff also receive a card from the Queen and Prince Philip.

The more long-standing members of the team are given shopping vouchers that range in value up to £35.

There is an element of ceremony to the voucher giving as senior household receive theirs first, then the clers, followed by domestic workers, maids and gardeners.

All the presents are paid for by the Queen herself via the Privy Purse.

Other gifts handed out by the Queen include Christmas trees for Westminster Abbey, St Paul’s Cathedral, St Giles’ Cathedral and the Canongate Kirk in Edinburgh.

The monarch also donates money to a number of charities in Windsor every Christmas.

The Royals spend the festive period at Sandringham Hall in Norfolk.

As a result, churches and schools in the Sandringham area are gifted a tree from the Queen.

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A family tradition

The Christmas pudding gift tradition was started by the Queen’s grandfather King George V.

George V reigned from 1910 until his death in 1936 and he began the ritual before the war.

The annual gift-giving was continued by the Queen’s father King George VI.

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