The Queen Starts Every Christmas with a Martini, According to This Royal Documentary

The Queen kicks off every Christmas with a martini, according to royal documentary Inside Sandringham: Holidaying with the Queen.

Queen Banquet Singapore
(Image credit: Tim Graham)

  • According to a Channel 5 documentary called Inside Sandringham: Holidaying with the Queen, the Queen kicks off every Christmas with a stiff drink—a Martini, to be exact.
  • In the documentary, royal expert Ingrid Seward revealed the monarch's holiday drinking habits, as well as those of her husband, Prince Philip.
  • While the Queen opts for a Martini, Philip reportedly prefers a pale ale.

You know that feeling, when you're a few hours deep into the holidays with your family and you're like, "I need a drink"?

Well, the Queen knows that feeling too—or, honestly, maybe she doesn't, because she doesn't wait until the vague, "few hours" mark to start the boozier part of the holidays. In fact, according to the Channel 5 documentary, Inside Sandringham: Holidaying with the QueenQueen Elizabeth begins every Christmas with a stiff Martini.

Never have the words "Yas, Queen" been more appropriate. 

In the documentary, royal expert Ingrid Seward revealed that the boozy beginning to the festivities is one of the royals' most cherished Christmas traditions.

"I think the Queen likes a martini, other people would rather have champagne," Seward said, per The Sun. "Prince Philip isn’t a great drinker, he always used to drink pale ale. So they’re not great drinkers. But the drinks are very strong. So any one that’s a guest would be knocked out by these drinks."

The more you know, right?

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Kayleigh Roberts
Weekend Editor

Kayleigh Roberts is a freelance writer and editor with more than 10 years of professional experience. Her byline has appeared in Marie Claire, Cosmopolitan, ELLE, Harper’s Bazaar, The Atlantic, Allure, Entertainment Weekly, MTV, Bustle, Refinery29, Girls’ Life Magazine, Just Jared, and Tiger Beat, among other publications. She's a graduate of the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University.