Here’s How Much Queen Elizabeth Spends on Christmas Gifts

Queen Elizabeth II with World War II veterans during a D-Day National Commemorative Event in 2019 in Portsmouth (Official White House Photo by Andrea Hanks via Wikimedia Commons).

If you think you’re spending too much on your Christmas presents, you’d be surprised to find out how much Queen Elizabeth II spends for her gifts!

The holiday season is such a costly affair, even for the monarch. The Queen reportedly buys 620 gifts for staff and family and her final shopping bill reaches a whopping £30,000, a former palace aide told Fabulous Digital.

About up to two weeks leading to Christmas, the Deputy Master of the Household would commandeer the household staff, from equerries and maids to accountants and footmen, to one of the state rooms at Buckingham Palace.

 “Here they line up to receive a wrapped gift from the Queen, and she says a few words to each of them - usually something like ‘Thankyou so much for all your help during the year, followed by Happy Christmas,” the aide revealed.

"If the staff are not able to be there on the specified days - they may be a ghillie working  at Balmoral for example - the Household makes sure they are sent to them, along with a card from HM.

“The presents are usually a book token, or a small piece of china from the palace gift shop, and most years she gives them a small Christmas pudding in a box as well," the source added.  

The aide continued: “An equerry will be standing beside her with a list, from which he will quietly whisper the name of each recipient as they step forward, just as they would at a palace investiture ceremony.”

Gift-giving on Christmas is a tradition that was started by the queen’s grandfather, King George V. Since succeeding to the throne in 1952, Queen Elizabeth II has gifted each of her 1,500 staff with extra special puddings. Likewise, palace employees, employees at the Court Post Office and the Palace police also receive a greeting card from the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh.

The monarch used to hand Christmas pudding from Harrods or Fortnum & Mason - the royal grocers, but since the royal purse strings had gotten frugal lately, the Queen preferred the puddings from Tesco’s, especially, Tesco’s Finest Matured Christmas Pudding.

Queen Elizabeth II also used to schedule a personal shopping session from Harrods in her home before Christmas.   “The gifts are all chosen online by two women in HM’s private secretary’s office now, but until fairly recently the Queen used to be able to go on a shopping spree of her own, when chosen stores - principally Harrods and Fortnums - would send van loads of stuff for her to look at,” the aide detailed.

The Queen, however, ceased from doing this personal shopping and “she doesn’t really need to expend her energy on as she gets older."