The holiday season is in full swing, and for members of the Royal Family that means preparing for the annual trip to Sandringham. The royals have been celebrating on the monarch's private Norfolk, England estate since the late '80s, and along with the family's public walk to church on December 25, there are plenty of Christmas traditions that are carried on behind the scenes. Former royal chef Darren McGrady knows better than anyone what's required to keep things running smoothly at the palace, and he's revealed the "military operation" that goes into pulling off the perfect Christmas.
Speaking on behalf of Smooth Spins Casino, McGrady shared that there were never any kitchen mishaps over the holiday season. "Nothing was allowed to go wrong," he shared.
McGrady explained that the staff made the same menu every year, including "the same recipes," so it was easy to plan in advance. "All the food came in way ahead of time, even down to the fruit bowls on the tables," he said. "We would pick the perfect pears that were just ripe and perfect, just beautiful. Nothing at all went wrong; everything was perfectly planned and laid out. It was business as usual."
King Charles is seen delivering his 2024 Christmas speech.
When asked how everything was transferred to Sandringham, the former royal chef said that one royal movie got it just right.
"If you’ve seen the movie Spencer, you’ll see the army deliver all the food in the boxes and hampers, which is what happened," McGrady shared. "Several days before Christmas, we’d send in an advance team to Sandringham, who would open up the kitchen and clean it so it was spotless. They would be there for the arrival to check in all of the food—the Norfolk turkeys would come in from the local butcher, all the local fish would come in."
And when he described the process as a "military operation," McGrady means that quite literally.
"When it came to the equipment and Christmas puddings, cakes, and all of that, that was packed carefully and driven up in army transportation," he explained. "The soldiers would bring it all into the kitchen, so we were all prepared for it. Every year it was like a military operation, so nothing went wrong."
Prince George, Prince Louis and Princess Charlotte are pictured holding gifts from the public on Christmas morning in 2024.
McGrady shared that before Windsor Castle experienced a devastating fire in 1992, the Royal Family used to have many more guests for Christmas lunch, including extended relatives like Queen Elizabeth's cousins.
"Back then, we would have about 30 people at the royal table," he shared. "That's because the Gloucesters, Kents, and everyone was invited. After the fire, it was a great excuse to cut that down and move into the Sandringham dining room, which was much smaller. Then we only had 16 for lunch, plus 100 staff.”
