31 Nostalgic Photos of the Royal Family at Christmas

When it comes to Christmas, the British royal family has plenty of traditions that onlookers have come to know over the years, from their festive family Christmas cards to their show-stopping trees and roasted turkeys.

Over the last few decades, the family has spent Christmas at Sandringham in Norfolk—but the royals have a long history of celebrating Christmas at Windsor Castle, where each year a 20-foot (or so) tree is mounted in St. George’s Hall, the largest room in the castle. (This year, the Windsor Castle tree was decked out with over 3,000 lights.) During World War II, Queen Elizabeth II even performed Christmas pantomimes at the castle alongside her sister, Princess Margaret, in an effort to boost morale and raise money for the war effort.

More recently, the family traditionally attends a Christmas Day church service at St. Mary Magdalene in Sandringham, where they greet people on the walk to and from the church. Alongside the traditions that many know and love, the Christmas season also grants an opportunity for some of the royal family’s most striking sartorial choices—just take the red coat, black hat, and veil look that Princess Diana wore on Christmas Day in 1993.

Below, find a collection of throwback photos of the royal family at Christmases of years past.