--- description: According to U.K. reports, Prince William and Kate separate early Christmas morning due to royal tradition. title: Royal Tradition Keeping Wills and Kate Apart on Christmas Day image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt5c0f8fb1d01dabc6/698a4340d075333d5ce6eae2/GettyImages-1290174814.jpg?branch=production&width=1440&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [World](/section/world/) ## World Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [United Kingdom](/tag/united-kingdom/) ## United Kingdom Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # The Royal Tradition That Keeps Prince William and Kate Middleton Apart on Christmas Day ## Video: King Charles III Honors K-Pop Group BLACKPINK During South Korean President's State Visit [Watch (HLS stream): King Charles III Honors K-Pop Group BLACKPINK During South Korean President's State Visit](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/ePGBHIOh.m3u8) (1:56)  _Published 2023-11-22. King Charles III paid tribute to K-pop band Blackpink on Wednesday, giving them honorary gongs for their work fighting climate change by raising awareness among young people. During a three-day state visit by South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, Charles made Jennie Kim, Jisoo Kim and Lalisa Manoban honorary Members of the Order of the British Empire in recognition of the group's role as COP26 Advocates for the COP26 Summit in Glasgow 2021._  by [Solcyré Burga](/author/solcyre-burga/)  ## Solcyré Burga Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Reporter Dec 14, 2023 5:56 PM CUT  Prince William and his wife, Kate Middleton, abide by certain royal traditions over Christmas, according to former palace workers. Prince William and his wife, Kate Middleton, abide by certain royal traditions over Christmas, according to former palace workers.Max Mumby—Getty Images  by [Solcyré Burga](/author/solcyre-burga/)  ## Solcyré Burga Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Reporter Dec 14, 2023 5:56 PM CUT Christmas traditions vary vastly across the globe. In Latin America, residents typically celebrate the holiday on the night of Dec. 24th, which they call “Nochebuena.” In Japan, some families [flock to KFC](https://www.npr.org/2023/12/14/1218485324/christmas-traditions-around-the-world "undefined") for their holiday dinner. But in the royal family, Christmas tradition keeps couples apart for the first part of their day. According to [U.K. reports](https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/royals/prince-william-kate-eating-separately-31669479?%5Fga=2.180975015.1239338412.1702565449-982002172.1702565073 "undefined"), Prince William and Kate eat their breakfast separately on Christmas morning. **Read More:** [_U.K. Politician Faces Suspension Over “Serious Breach” of Rules_](https://time.com/6509677/scott-benton-uk-parliament-report-suspension/ "undefined") Former royal chef Darren McGrady—who was the [personal chef to](https://theroyalchef.com/about/ "undefined") Queen Elizabeth II, and other royal family members, for fifteen years—told _the Mirror_ that women typically eat breakfast in their room, while men meet in the dining room for a meal two hours before they head to mass at St. Mary Magdalene Church in Sandringham, Norfolk, England. ### More From TIME The tradition affects all royal couples, as men and women only gather together for lunch when they return from an 11 a.m. service on the 25th. McGrady previously told the _Daily Mail_ in 2017 that women opt for a lighter breakfast of fruit and toast while men eat a fuller meal with eggs, bacon, mushroom, kippers, and more. It is not clear why Christmas tradition keeps the couple apart, or indeed if William and Kate abide by this rule every year. Other royal traditions seem to date back to the family’s German roots. For instance, Prince Harry confirmed in his book, _Spare_, that his family exchanges gifts on Christmas Eve. The royal family’s [official website says](https://www.royal.uk/royal-family-christmas-0 "undefined") that members usually lay out their gifts on trestle tables and exchange them around teatime. Christmas trees also became a tradition in royal households after they were [popularized by Queen Victoria](https://www.townandcountrymag.com/society/tradition/g25439469/royal-family-christmas-traditions/ "undefined"), King Charles’ great-great-great-grandmother, in the nineteenth century. Trees were previously donated by the royal family to churches and schools in the Sandringham area, as well as St. Paul’s Cathedral in London, St. Giles’ Cathedral, and more. Additionally, royal family members typically send out Christmas cards to family, friends, and members of the family—though some government officials may also receive one. Current tallies have not been updated recently, but under Queen Elizabeth II’s reign, the royal family sent out [about 750 Christmas cards](https://www.royal.uk/royal-family-christmas-0 "undefined") annually. "Wishing you a very Happy Christmas and New Year,” the [2023 Christmas card](https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/king-charles-selects-coronation-photo-christmas-card-rcna128934 "undefined") from King Charles read. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/6512943/royal-christmas-tradition-sandringham-monarchy/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/6512943/royal-christmas-tradition-sandringham-monarchy/"},"headline":"The Royal Tradition That Keeps Prince William and Kate Middleton Apart on Christmas Day","datePublished":"2023-12-14T17:56:59.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-24T16:50:49.179Z","description":"According to U.K. reports, Prince William and Kate separate early Christmas morning due to royal tradition.","url":"https://time.com/6512943/royal-christmas-tradition-sandringham-monarchy/","keywords":["United Kingdom","News Desk"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt5c0f8fb1d01dabc6/698a4340d075333d5ce6eae2/GettyImages-1290174814.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Solcyré Burga","jobTitle":"Reporter","url":"https://time.com/author/solcyre-burga/"}],"articleSection":"World","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt5c0f8fb1d01dabc6/698a4340d075333d5ce6eae2/GettyImages-1290174814.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Members Of The Royal Family Thank Volunteers And Key Workers At Windsor Castle","caption":"Members Of The Royal Family Thank Volunteers And Key Workers At Windsor Castle","creditText":"Max Mumby—Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/world/","name":"World"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/united-kingdom/","name":"United Kingdom"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/6512943/royal-christmas-tradition-sandringham-monarchy/","name":"The Royal Tradition That Keeps Prince William and Kate Middleton Apart on Christmas Day"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"King Charles III Honors K-Pop Group BLACKPINK During South Korean President's State Visit","description":"King Charles III paid tribute to K-pop band Blackpink on Wednesday, giving them honorary gongs for their work fighting climate change by raising awareness among young people. 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