Princess Diana Reportedly Disliked This One Royal Family Christmas Tradition

Princess Diana adored the spirit of Christmas, but she often struggled with some royal traditions. In fact, there was one element of the celebration that weighed on her deeply.

Newsweek shared that in the film Spencer, the royal family was shown participating in a tradition that involved weighing themselves before and after Christmas dinner. Per Business Insider, royal biographer Ingrid Seward revealed that guests were expected to step upon a set of antique scales, where their weight was recorded. After dinner, they were to step on the scales again as a measure of whether or not they enjoyed their meal.

However, for Diana, participating in this tradition was likely upsetting. In 1992, she revealed in Andrew Morton‘s biography that she suffered from bulimia. She further elaborated on her battle against the eating disorder in a 1995 interview with the BBC.

Per Tasting Table, this bizarre tradition hailed from the days of King Edward VII’s reign. He believed if some weight was put on during the day, it was a sign that guests truly enjoyed themselves.

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Some weight gain was to be expected, according to former royal chef Darren McGrady, due to the amount of food that was consumed by the family on Christmas Day. Typically, there was a hearty breakfast for the men, and light fruit, toast, and coffee for the women. McGrady recalls that on the lunch menu was “turkey, different stuffings – sage and onion, chestnut – and the traditional sides like roast potatoes, mashed potatoes, parsnips and Brussels sprouts.” There was also a traditional Christmas pudding for dessert.

During Afternoon Tea, the family dined on cake, scones, mince pies, and sandwiches. Finally, for the last meal of the day, McGrady said, “Harrods would always give them a whole foie gras en croute. They’d have a whole Stilton cheese. We’d take the top off, pitchfork the top, and pour port into it. It made this gorgeous spread for the crackers. It was really opulent. There was also a big York ham that was decorated.”

Other Christmas traditions in the House of Windsor also included exchanging gag gifts on Christmas Eve, reports the official royal family website. The family regularly attends church services at  St Mary Magdalene, Sandringham, and gifts their staff individual Christmas puddings.

It is unclear whether or not King Charles adheres to the traditions set by his late mother, Queen Elizabeth, or if he has since instilled more modern ways of celebrating the holiday.