Kate Middleton and Prince William’s children are apparently extremely professional when it comes to online shopping for Christmas presents.
King Charles’ former royal butler, Grant Harrold, has opened up about the Royal Family’s Christmas shopping habits. And according to Harrold, some members of the family have turned to online shopping to discreetly get their gifts delivered in time for the holidays.
In an interview with the Mirror, Harrold explained, “The younger ones, especially, are very savvy with online shopping, making Christmas shopping easier.” It’s certainly fun to imagine Princess Charlotte, Prince George, and Prince Louis using their parents credit cards to shop for gifts on the internet.
However, Harrold isn’t certain that all members of the Royal Family do their own present wrapping. “I can easily see Kate, William, and even Anne wrapping their own presents but not the King,” Harrold told the outlet. “He’ll have someone do that for him.”
“The younger ones, especially, are very savvy with online shopping, making Christmas shopping easier.”
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Harrold also discussed King Charles‘ preferences when receiving gifts. “The King hates being given anything extravagant and expensive,” the former royal butler said. “He’d be embarrassed if you spent a fortune on him. He’d say, ‘That’s lovely but you really shouldn’t have.'”
Instead, King Charles reportedly prefers to receive simple and inexpensive gifts. “So, at Christmas, I used to give him books on Victorian gardening or honey-based products because I know how much he loves honey,” said Harrold.
“I can easily see Kate, William, and even Anne wrapping their own presents.”
(Image credit: Getty Images)
The former butler also noted that even members of the Royal Family like to save money where they can, which is sure to surprise some people. “Everyone assumes the royals only shop in the poshest stores,” Harrold explained. “But they go to the same shops that we do.”
Of course, Christmas shopping in public is probably quite tricky for members of the British Royal Family. But according to Harrold, even Queen Elizabeth was known to shop in her favorite stores, on occasion. “I’m not saying they never go to Harrods—it’s said the late Queen did some Christmas shopping there with her cousin (the Duchess of Kent) in the 1950s but she would often nip to her local shops in Ballater village, near Balmoral,” Harrold said. “The royals enjoy a bargain.”