Meghan Markle: The BIZARRE present the Duchess gifted the Queen last Christmas

The Royal Family’s Christmas Day this year will be an entirely different occasion, with the addition of Prince Louis, who was born in April this year, and Meghan Markle, 37, who became Prince Harry’s, 34, wife in May and is now pregnant with their first baby.

Despite a new dynamic to the Royal Family, they do stick to the same traditions on 25 December every year.

Their tradition means they all spend the day at the Queen’s Sandringham Estate in Norfolk and they exchange gifts on Christmas Eve.

It also involves a visit to St Mary Magdalene Church for the Christmas morning service.

But when it comes to gift giving, things aren’t as lavish as you’d expect.

Among their festive traditions is apparently a rule that all the royals must include joke gifts to their relatives.

Prince Harry is said to have once gifted his grandmother Queen Elizabeth II a shower cap with the words ‘ain’t life a b***h’ emblazoned on it.

And proving she has a sense of humour to match her in-laws, Kate Middleton, 36, reportedly once gave Harry a ‘grow your own girlfriend’ kit, long before Meghan Markle entered his life.

Last year it was up to the Duchess of Sussex to show she could live up to the family’s expectations for novelty gifts and gave the Queen something rather bizarre.

Weeks after announcing their engagement, Prince Harry’s then-fiancée gave Her Majesty a singing toy hamster, according to the Daily Star online.

The gift is said to have left the Queen in hysterics.

While it went down a storm with the Monarch, it’s a vast difference from Kate’s previous gift to her grandmother-in-law, which was a recipe of her grandmother’s chutney.

Another rather strange gift includes a white leather toilet seat given by Princess Anne to Prince Charles.

Although the Royal Family can certainly laugh at some of the gifts they’ve received from one another, they have also received some equally strange gifts from members of the public.

In 2017 the Queen received a lot of presents, including glitter balls for the royal Christmas tree and a bauble containing Enigma machine paper by GCHQ.

The royal family also follow some other quirky traditions regarding presents over the festive season.

On Christmas Eve, presents are placed on a white linen-covered trestle table, with cards marking exactly where the piles of gifts should be put.

And the tradition of not giving each other presents on Christmas Day like most Britons is due to the royals’ German heritage.

Former royal chef Darren McGrady said: “The royals are of German descent so they weave in German traditions to their celebrations.

“After afternoon tea, they open gifts on Christmas Eve, as is the German tradition.”

All members of the royal household will also receive gifts from the Queen and in addition, the staff receives a Christmas pudding.

This is a tradition introduced by her father, King George VI and her grandfather George V.

Approximately 1,500 Christmas pudding paid by Queen Elizabeth II through the Privy Purse is given out to the staff every year.