King Charles III may be the monarch of the United Kingdom, but he still has a wacky sense of humor.
His former butler Grant Harrold divulged the unique holiday presents that the sovereign, 75, would leave for them during Christmastime.
Charles would sneak gifts into the lockers of staff members at Highgrove, his Gloucestershire abode.
The former Prince of Wales would “leave funny little things” in the “pigeonholes where I’d get my post in the mornings,” Harrold told the Mirror.
One holiday, Charles left a tin of salmon, and another year Harrold received a salt and pepper grinder tied with a ribbon.
“I just thought it was so bizarre because you don’t expect those little things. It shows that they’ve got that fun, practical side to them,” the ex-butler said.
Charles and his wife, Queen Camilla, would also send Christmas cards to them — and eventually “actual proper gifts.”
“[I would get] things like tea cups and saucers or whiskey glasses. One year I got a lovely water jug,” he recalled. (Prince William and Prince Harry, for their part, would give out “special” holidays memos to the employees.)
The late Queen Elizabeth II treated the staff a bit differently. Throughout her reign, she would give each employee a helping of Christmas pudding alongside a personalized holiday card.
According to royal biographer Brian Hoey, they’d also receive a gift card with a value reflecting how long they had worked for her.
During the holidays, the royal family departs London and heads to their winter home, Sandringham, in Norfolk, England.
The Firm spends their Christmas there, observing various wintery traditions to celebrate the Yuletide.
The longtime royal mansion has been in the family since 1862, when Queen Victoria purchased the home for one of her sons, the future Edward VII.
The Windsors have a medley of customs that they follow while staying at Sandringham, including a game of soccer with staff and a game of charades around a campfire.
The family attend an elegant dinner on Christmas Eve and attend Christmas church service at St Mary Magdalene the following day.
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