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How King Charles shook up the royal Christmas – from the food he BANNED to the new guests he’s invited
King Charles has made some changes to the royal Christmas
KING Charles is carving his own path as the new British monarch - and this includes making some key changes to the traditional royal Christmas.
Every year the royal family flock to Sandringham to celebrate the festive period, but it'll look slightly different now Charles is on the throne.
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This is the second year King Charles has hosted the family at the impressive Norfolk estate, following the death of the late Queen in September 2022.
While he will be paying homage to his beloved mother in many ways, he will be leaving his stamp in others.
Here's how our new king has shaken up the royal Christmas...
Foie Gras is banned
One thing that King Charles has banned from the Royal Family Christmas dinner is Foie Gras.
Foie Gras is duck liver and is made by force feeding the animals to enlarge their livers.
Many animal rights activists believe that this practice is cruel and have called for the delicacy to be banned.
In previous years, the Royal Family were said to have enjoyed the delicacy together on Christmas Day, with former royal chef Darren McGrady telling Hello! that Harrods gave them “an entire Foie Gras en croute” for their Christmas buffet every year.
However, as the King is a supporter of animal rights himself and advocates for a more sustainable way of living, he has taken the decision to ban the dish in all palaces, so it will not be consumed by the royals at Sandringham this year.
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Christmas Pudding tradition is forbidden
Another thing that is banned from the Royal Family’s Christmas dinner is the tradition of putting a coin inside a Christmas pudding.
Traditionally, a coin is placed in the mixture of a Christmas pudding and whoever finds the coin in their slice while eating it will receive good luck in the year to come.
However, Mr McGrady told the BBC that this particular tradition is banned in the royal household.
He said: “No, we never did that! Ever since the Queen Mother choked on a fish bone that time… we were too nervous to do that.”
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More organic menu
Now that Charles is on the throne, the Royal Family’s traditional Christmas dinner is expected to be made using organic produce.
Charles took over the running of the Sandringham estate in 2017 and has aimed to make it fully organic.
There could also be less meat and fish on the menu as Charles has before spoken about limiting the amount he consumes.
During a speech at a UN climate summit in 2021, the King said: “I haven’t eaten meat and fish on two days a week and I don’t eat dairy products on one day a week.”
Brand new guest list
Another thing that will be different with this year’s Christmas dinner is that Camilla’s children and grandchildren will be joining the royals at Sandringham for the occasion.
Although Charles and Camilla have been married since 2005, in previous years her family members did not join in the festivities at Sandringham as they are not members of the royal household.
Camilla has two children, Laura Lopes and Tom Parker-Bowls and five grandchildren named Lola, Eliza, Freddy, Gus and Louis.
She is sure to be delighted that they are joining the Royal Family Christmas dinner this year.
No children at the table
One thing that many people may find strange about the Royal Family Christmas is that young children such as Prince Louis have to eat their dinner in a different room.
Mr McGrady previously said: “The children always ate in the nursery until they were old enough to conduct themselves properly at the dining table.
"So for the Queen, there was never a case of putting a high chair at the table with a little baby squealing and throwing food. It was Victorian.
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"The children's place was in the nursery and Nanny would take care of them. It's your modern-day Downton Abbey."
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