Aspect of royal Christmas tradition Prince William could ‘axe’ when he’s king

Prince William could reportedly get rid of a Christmas tradition that he’s “never really taken to” when he becomes king.

According to reports, the royal family likes to exchange joke gifts at Christmas. However, there’s one aspect of it that William isn’t a big fan of.

William wants to change some royal Christmas traditions, reports claim (Credit: Cover Images)

The royal family’s joke gift tradition

The royal family apparently has a tradition of giving each other joke gifts each Christmas that dates back decades.

Princess Diana was reportedly left mortified when given a toilet paper holder as a gift by Princess Anne during her first Christmas with the royals in the early 1980s.

Diana reportedly felt “mortified on Christmas Eve, when she discovered that the royal family only gave each other silly gag gifts”.

She soon got into the swing of the tradition, however. One year, she apparently gifted Sarah Ferguson a “leopard-print bath mat”.

Another iconic gift from the royals reportedly included a white leather toilet seat for Charles from Anne. The queen received a shower cap from grandson Prince Harry that read “Ain’t Life a B****” one year, apparently.

In his pre-Meghan days, Harry was even reportedly once gifted a “Grow Your Own Girlfriend” kit by his sister-in-law, Princess Kate.

William wants to make some changes (Credit: Cover Images)

Prince William to ‘do away’ with joke gift tradition at Christmas

Part of the tradition is that the monarch reportedly hands out the joke gifts to royals in hierarchical order.

This means that if Charles hands out the presents this year, William and family would get theirs first.

However, William is believed to be keen to do away with the hierarchical aspect of the tradition when he becomes king.

“While William’s mind is on much bigger changes than just the trestle table, it’s well known to be one of those antiquated traditions that he’s never really taken to,” a source once told the Daily Mail.

William and Kate prefer the laid-back Middleton approach to Christmas (Credit: Cover Images)

‘One of the first things to go’

“You can expect that to be one of the first things to go when he eventually hosts his first Sandringham Christmas.”

Royals also apparently pick up their gifts in hierarchical order. This apparently means much-loved members like William’s cousin Zara Tindall are left until last.

Read more: King Charles named ‘hardest-working royal’ of 2025 as he ‘beats’ Princess Anne

“William adores Zara, he would hate that the practice of leaving her to the back of a queue. It’s just not William’s way of doing things at home and he has apparently quipped in the past that he wouldn’t continue any of that stuff, though he appreciates his father does it for the nostalgia and as a way to remember the Queen,” the source then added.

Reps for the Prince of Wales have been contacted for comment.

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