The Bizarre Rule Royals Are Meant To Follow On Christmas Might Be Their Strangest Holiday Tradition
Christmas with the royal family might sound like a ball, but there are so many rules and traditions that it's likely more stressful than festive for newcomers. There are plenty of royal family traditions that may not survive the next generation, and we suspect the custom of having to weigh yourself before and after all the Christmas day celebrations is one of them.
The centuries-old tradition started in the 1900s under King Edward VII's reign. He appeared to have a strange obsession with the well-being of his Christmas guests and therefore required they be weighed before and after the festivities. Weight gained was seen as a positive indicator that guests had a grand time. Edward preferred the scale to jump up at least 1.4 kilograms (about 3 pounds). Royal expert Ingrid Seward told Grazia in 2018 that the late Queen Elizabeth II continued to honor this tradition, and that Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex, and her mother, Doria Ragland, would find themselves being weighed for their very first royal Christmas that year. It is an odd tradition, and one that is frowned upon by many today. There's been no comment from the palace confirming that it's still honored, but various accounts from royal experts and insiders indicate that it's still upheld.
The royals do have some less serious Christmas traditions as well — like their gift-giving protocol, which stipulates that gag gifts instead of expensive presents are to be exchanged on Christmas. Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, especially, took this to heart, reportedly once gifting the queen a shower cap that read, "Ain't Life a B****." Meanwhile, Princess Anne once gave King Charles III a leather toilet seat, which he's been rumored to travel with ever since. Catherine, Princess of Wales, also proved she can be quite the jokester when she gifted Harry a "Grow Your Own Girlfriend" kit during his bachelor years.
It's very likely Prince William will do away with this strange tradition when he becomes king
Given that William, Prince of Wales, has started to upend some of King Charles III's longstanding royal rules, we suspect that weighing yourself on Christmas might be another one of those outdated protocols that will be axed under his reign. Whispers about how Catherine and William are planning on modernizing the monarchy have increasingly made the rounds, and royal experts say the future king is taking a close second look at Christmas traditions.
Speaking to Fox News in December 2025, royal commentator Neil Sean claimed that William wants to do away with the annual Christmas walk. "William thinks this also needs a radical rethink. He does not necessarily like being on display on what he views as a private and sacred day," Sean said, adding that King Charles III sees it differently, and so does Princess Catherine. If William isn't even a big fan of the Christmas walk, we suspect he's even less happy with the Christmas weigh-in. There are some traditions he reportedly wants to keep, however, like the gag gifts, but he wants to make it less formal and involve palace staff in the festivities.
William's desire for a more normal, laid-back Christmas reportedly stems from the experiences he's had with Catherine's family. "He's been campaigning with Kate to bring that informal flavour to the royal fold," a source told the Irish Independent in 2014 (via Express). They noted that the prince reportedly realized Christmas can be a fun and laid-back affair when you're not subjected to arduous royal rules and protocols, and he yearned to see his own family loosen up a little over the festive period. We suspect Christmas is set to become a lot more fun when William calls the shots.