When enjoying their Christmas lunch, the Royal Family don’t all sit together, as Mike Tindall has revealed.
It’s well-documented that the Royals enjoy a traditional Christmas dinner with turkey and plenty of trimmings. But not everyone is present at the main table – as part of one of a number of traditions the Royal Family hold, just like this one Prince William and Kate Middleton are continuing with their children.
Mike Tindall, Princess Anne’s son-in-law, revealed back in 2019 that some of the younger Royals, including Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis, eat their Christmas lunch in a separate room away from the adults.
On the former rugby union star’s podcast, The Good, The Bad and The Ugly, which William, Kate and Anne have appeared on themselves in the past, co-stars James Haskell and Alex Payne asked him which table he’s sat at for the Christmas meal.
They quipped, “Do you find yourself upgrading every year and getting closer to the main table or are you off out the back? Is there a promotion and relegation based on the year's performance? Because if there is I imagine you're pretty much sitting on the right-hand side of Her Majesty.”
Mike explained that he’d sat on the then Prince Charles’ table for the most recent Christmas lunch, before continuing, “This is the family lunch, there were seven tables so there must have been about 70 of us there. The kiddies have their own little one in a different room.”
With wife Zara Tindall, Mike has three children. They have two daughters together, Mia and Lena, and a son, Lucas. Among the other royal children are Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, as well as Peter Phillips’ daughters with wife Autumn Kelly, Isla and Savannah.
This year, however, it’s thought that there will be more faces around the dinner tables at Christmas. King Charles has invited Queen Camilla’s children and grandchildren to celebrate Christmas at Sandringham, so her children Tom Parker Bowles and Laura Lopes and their children are set to be in attendance this year.
Tom has a daughter, Lola, and a son, Frederick, with ex-wife Sara Buys, while Laura has a daughter, Eliza, and twin sons, Gus and Louis, with husband Harry Lopes.
But Prince Harry, Meghan Markle, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet won’t be joining in the celebrations this year. Instead, they’ll be at their home in Montecito, California over the festive period.
In other royal news, Prince George keeps this funny Christmas tradition inspired by Princess Diana and here’s when Prince George scared the Queen while getting ready for Christmas.
