King Charles' Christmas estate once had its own time zone
The King and the rest of the Royal Family have returned to the Sandringham Estate in Norfolk this Christmas and have no doubt taken part in many of the fun and unique traditions that they enjoy each year. Among these quirks that set members of the Firm apart from many of us in the UK are how they open their presents on Christmas Eve and buy one another joke gifts.
But that isn't the end of surprising stories linked to how the family spend their time at Sandringham. Shockingly, King Charles' home used to have its very own time zone. The trend was bought in originally by the King's great-great grandfather, King Edward VII, for a unique reason and was carried on for many years after his death.
Sandringham is known to be a favourite home of the King and he is often pictured visiting there throughout the year. But in days gone by, it was lived in all year round by his predecessors, mainly as it was an ideal location for hunting and shooting.
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And that suitability is exactly why an incredibly strange rule - known as 'Sandringham Time' was brought in by King Edward VII while he was still the Prince of Wales.
The future King loved outdoor sports, particularly hunting, and came up with the idea of Sandringham Time to make the most of the winter daylight hours for shooting.
He ordered all the clocks on the estate to be set half an hour ahead of Greenwich Mean Time. Sandringham Time was also later adopted at Windsor Castle and at the Balmoral Estate in Scotland.
There was also a rumour that the king brought in the strange rule as his wife was always skilled at running late for any event, but experts agree that the main reason was to make better use of the shooting facilities.
The tradition of Sandringham Time continued after Edward VII’s death and throughout the reign of George V. The confusion of the trend infuriated the king's children and Edward VIII abolished it during his brief reign. It is unclear whether King George VI or Queen Elizabeth II or King Charles chose to reinstate it.
The Royal Family’s Christmas will see the whole family gathered together to take part in annual traditions such as attending a church service, watching the monarch's speech and tucking into a tasty roast dinner.
But when it comes to gift-giving, the royals have their own twist which dates back to something started by the late Queen’s great-great-grandmother, Queen Victoria. The royals follow the traditional German festive custom of opening presents on Christmas Eve.
Royal expert Robert Jobson told The Express in 2021: “On Christmas Eve when all the clan are together, the Queen's grandchildren and great-grandchildren put the finishing touches to the 20ft Christmas tree in the White Drawing Room.
"Presents will be opened that day at tea time as the royals still keep to the German practice of opening their gifts on Christmas Eve. Gifts are laid out in the Red Drawing Room on a white linen-covered trestle table, with cards marking exactly where the piles of gifts should be put."
