With the big day now just hours away, many of us will have already braved the shops to buy all of our Christmas presents - but someone who had a very different approach to her festive shopping was Queen Elizabeth II.
Despite it being a challenge to shop for the people who have everything, only the best would do for Queen Elizabeth's children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. As a result, the late monarch introduced a very clever method to get her Christmas shopping done without leaving the comfort of her own home.
The story, revealed by former royal butler Paul Burrell, showed that the late Queen would bring the shops to her, rather than go to them.
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Paul told Closer Magazine: "Firstly, she has catalogues sent to her, and then the Oxford Street branch of John Lewis sends her a selection of almost everything they stock. There is a little ‘shop’ set up in the drawing room at Windsor Castle and the Queen can pop in and choose gifts at her leisure. Late at night, after dinner, usually around 10pm, she’ll pop into her little Christmas shop and do some shopping.
“The Queen always chooses practical gifts that can be used – never ornaments or decorative things. So she might pick some picnic plates, a tablecloth, or a couple of hand towels. Then they are wrapped up and a truckload of presents are ready to go to Sandringham.”
While a personal shop in Windsor Castle is impressive enough, another incredible revelation about the monarch's shopping habits were revealed by former Lady-in-Waiting and close friend to the monarch, Lady Anne Glenconner in her book Lady in Waiting: My Extraordinary Life in the Shadow of the Crown.
She explained that during a royal tour to Sydney in 1975 with Princess Margaret, Australian diplomat Sir Roden Cutler VC was surprised at the princess’s request to go shopping.
“I didn’t think the Royal Family went shopping,” he said. “I represent the Queen, and I have never heard of her going shopping.”
Correcting him, Lady Glenconner responded, “Actually, the Queen goes shopping. She recently went to Harrods to choose some Christmas presents. My mother is a Lady of the Bedchamber, and she went with her.”
When the time to exchange gifts arrives, the royals have their own approach, following the traditional German custom of opening presents on Christmas Eve. Rather than gift one another lavish and expensive gifts, they exchange humorous presents.
Over the years, gifts have reportedly included a singing hamster, a leather toilet seat, a grow-your-own-girlfriend kit and a shower cap which read: "Ain't life a b****".