Prince Harry is spending Christmas an ocean away from his royal relatives, but he’ll no doubt be reflecting on time shared with his beloved grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II.
The Duke of Sussex has previously spoken fondly of a gift he chose for the late Queen that amused her no end, so much so that she displayed it ‘proudly’ at one of her favourite Royal residences. And it wasn’t the jewel-encrusted treasure you might be imagining.
Although you’d expect a royal Christmas, typically held at the imposing 20,000-acre Sandringham Estate in Norfolk, to be a very grand affair, it’s understood The Firm likes a bit of silliness mixed into the season.
When it comes to presents, the family has imposed a strict ban on anything too lavish – it must be difficult to buy for those who admittedly don’t want for much in terms of material possessions. Instead, they prefer to shop around for daft gag gifts or share heartfelt homemade items.
It seems that Harry, 40, excelled in this particular area, with his well-known cheeky sense of humour making Her Majesty’s day even merrier…
The gag gift is said to hang ‘proudly in Balmoral’ (
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The hilarious gift in question was a singing fish. The late Queen apparently loved it so much that it still hangs “proudly in Balmoral” – per Finding Freedom, a book about Harry and Meghan released in 2020. The singing fish even made it into a scene in The Crown on Netflix, however, they depicted that Prince Andrew gave her the much-enjoyed gift.
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Another gag gift that Prince Harry reportedly gave his grandmother was a “Ain’t life a b***h” shower cap. Princess Anne is said to have once given her brother Charles a leather toilet seat cover, and Kate apparently given Harry a ‘grow your own girlfriend’ kit back in his single days.
The Royal family prefer silly gifts at Christmastime (
Image:
Getty Images)
The royals join Charles at Sandringham on Christmas Eve – which is when they exchange their gifts too, per the German tradition as a nod to the family’s heritage. During the late Queen’s reign, royals arrived in order of seniority, with those lower down the line of succession arriving first.
They are said to all place their gifts for one another on a table before they’re exchanged, and then they go on to enjoy what Ingrid Seward of Majesty Magazine has called “lethal martinis”. The penchant for gag gifts shows that a sense of humour is crucial to enjoying Christmas with the Royal Family, which in many other respects still retains a very formal atmosphere. Reportedly, no television is allowed except the King’s Christmas message and none of the royals are allowed to depart for bed until the monarch has done so.
Since leaving the UK for sunny California, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s Christmasses look quite different. Last year, US Weekly reported that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex spent Christmas in their star-studded hometown of Montecito, with children Archie, five, and Lilibet, three, and Meghan’s mum Daria Ragland.
Opening up in a recent interview with Marie Claire, Meghan offered an insight into what their new Christmasses look like following their breakaway from royal life.
