And even 'extremely weird' is an understatement
The Queen proved her sweet relationship with Meghan Markle this month as she broke with royal tradition to invite Meghan Markle’s mum, Doria Ragland, to spend Christmas with the royal family in Sandringham.
The gesture was reported as ‘unusual’, especially seeing as Kate Middleton not only had to wait until she was married to Prince William to spend Christmas in Sandringham, but has also never had her family join the royals for Christmas lunch.
The exception however is reportedly down to the Duchess of Sussex having a difficult year family-wise, and the fact that Doria seems to be the only family member Meghan seems to be in regular contact with. Not to mention, Doria is said to have made a very good impression on the royals.
‘It’s a mark of the Queen’s respect for Meghan,’ a royal expert told the Daily Mail. ‘And an acknowledgment that she doesn’t have any other relations in this country – unlike Kate who has the support of a very close family.’
While Doria and Meghan are undoubtedly grateful for the kind invitation, their presence will mean an obligation to join in on the family’s regular Christmas traditions - and to say that they’re a bit weird would be a huge understatement.
In fact, one that has peaked particular interest is a strange royal Christmas tradition that is done before and after the meal, involving getting weighed.
Yes, really. According to reports, everyone that is eating Christmas dinner with the Queen is weighed before and after their meal just to ensure that they have been fed enough.
According to Ingrid Seward, editor of Majesty magazine, the weigh-in is an annual affair, started during King Edward VII’s reign, and has become a tradition to measure if people are enjoying themselves. In fact according to Ingrid, antique scales are still used as a nod to its 1900 roots.
This is hilarious, but we’re not sure how we’d feel about taking part!
