The Royal Family continues its Christmas tradition of exchanging humorous gifts this year. Since Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are no longer involved in the royal family celebrations, the role of “royal family joker” is now taken by King Charles.

King Charles and Prince Harry in 2014 (Credits: Getty Images)

The Royal Family has a long-standing tradition of exchanging humorous gifts on numerous occasions, including Christmas. For years Prince Harry took the lead as the ‘royal family joker,’ but with his absence from the family’s Christmas gatherings since 2018, King Charles has now stepped into the role for this year’s celebrations. Royal commentator Duncan Larcombe explained to OK! Magazine, “It’s a long-running tradition for the family to exchange joke gifts at Christmas, so there’s always a lot of laughter at Sandringham. In the past, Prince Harry used to be the biggest joker, but now I imagine it’s Charles, who has a very strong sense of humour.”

The exchange of joke gifts has become a beloved part of their festive celebrations. “Sometimes we imagine the royals are all very serious, but they like a good giggle like most families. Charles once said having a sense of humour is what keeps him sane, and so sharing joke presents helps lighten the atmosphere when things can otherwise be quite formal,” Larcombe added.

Over the years, the Royal Family has exchanged many unusual and quirky gifts. Princess Anne once gifted a leather toilet seat to her older brother, King Charles. Prince Harry gave the late Queen a shower cap with “Ain’t life a b**” printed on it. Also one can’t forget Kate Middleton’s iconic “grow your own girlfriend kit” for Prince Harry. Diana (Princess of Wales) once gifted Sarah (Duchess of York) a bold leopard-print bath mat, while Meghan Markle’s first Christmas gift to Prince Harry in 2017 was a spoon engraved with “cereal killer.”

Larcombe continued, “I think the King will definitely be the one playing pranks and messing about with the grandchildren at Christmas. And you can imagine that Princess Anne is a bit like the naughty auntie, with everyone wondering what she might say or do next!”

Not all royal gifts are eccentric, however. In 2016, Kate Middleton gave the Queen a jar of homemade chutney, made from a recipe passed down from her grandmother. Kate previously shared, “I was slightly worried about it, but I noticed the next day that it was on the table.”

In keeping with their German heritage, the royal family exchanges gifts on Christmas Eve rather than Christmas Day. According to former royal butler Grant Harrold, “It’s a tradition that dates back to Queen Victoria. They have afternoon tea in the White Drawing Room at Sandringham, which is an absolutely beautiful room, and then they exchange silly gifts. That’s it, done.” However, gifts, especially for children, are opened on Christmas morning. Harrold remarked, “The royals are trying to do it the way everyone else does it. So they’re keeping their own traditions going, with a modern twist as well. It’s a nice way to do it.”

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