Princess Anne's savage Christmas gift for King Charles that pokes fun at him
While they observe many of the festive traditions that a popular all over the UK, the Royal Family's Christmas is also unique and unexpected in many ways. From paying homage to their Germanic roots and opening their presents on Christmas Eve to taking part in a traditional Boxing Day hunt, some aspects of the royal Christmas hark back to their rich history.
But among the ways the past is honoured, one funny tradition each year sees them buy each other joke gifts, with previous presents including a singing hamster, a 'grow your own girlfriend kit' and even a shower cap which had 'Ain't life a b****' written on it. However, one of the best reported gifts was from Princess Anne to her elder brother, King Charles.
The siblings share an incredibly close bond and Anne clearly took the opportunity to mock the-then Prince of Wales' long wait for the throne one year with what she bought him for Christmas. 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.
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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.
"Once everyone has arrived, the royal guests enjoy a traditional Christmas that includes putting the finishing touches on the Christmas tree and the giving of cheap and humorous gifts." While many gifts have been revealed from previous royal Christmases, the present Princess Anne got her elder brother one year certainly takes the cake.
Royal expert Katie Nicholl revealed in a 2020 documentary: "If you can achieve something that is tongue in cheek, and will have the Queen laughing, then you've really done well that Christmas.
"The more kitsch, the better. Nothing ostentatious, or terribly expensive or lavish, that doesn't really go down well with the Queen."
Former royal butler Paul Burrell added: "Of course, the royals love lavatorial humour. It's the public school upbringing — and why wouldn't Prince Charles like a white, leather loo seat from his sister Anne?"
Though it seems quite random at first, there was a funny joke behind it. Former royal press secretary Dickie Arbiter also explained why this gift was particularly appropriate for The King.
He said: "What is it we used to call the loo? We would call it the throne. You go and sit on the throne. So buying a leather-bound loo seat was really Princess Anne's way of saying, 'Here you are, you've got your own personal throne'."
