Rare archive exposes the hidden stories of Royal Family Christmases

Researchers delving into a unique private archive have unearthed hidden royal secrets - and a rare glimpse into how the Royal Family once celebrated Christmas. From eclectic gifts fit for a king to cherished traditions around the tree, the treasure trove of documents belonging to George V’s daughter, Princess Mary, lifts the lid on festive seasons during the 1920s, ‘30s and beyond. Now the archive, held at the princess’s former home, Harewood House in Leeds, is being used to inspire the former royal residence’s spectacular Christmas programme. Explains senior curator and archivist Beckie Burton: “The archive is strictly private, but it’s of national importance and it’s fascinating. “The documents are a real insight into the public and private world of Princess Mary, as well as that of her wider family - especially around the festive season. She was the daughter of a King and the sister to two more, so she really was at the heart of things. “One of the highlights we found were her rare handwritten Christmas gift lists, something we’ve not explored in depth before, as well as a lot of other private correspondence, including letters between her and her parents, King George and Queen Mary. “On the one hand, it demonstrates how relatable they are; they experience Christmas as a family, with all the preparations and dynamics that come with it - including discussing who is buying what for whom, what it’s costing and organising shopping trips. “But then you look at the sheer scale of the gift giving and it reminds you the world they inhabited is very different to that of most other people.” The gift lists detail hundreds of presents, from lavish personal items intended for family, to more practical gifts for household staff. They range from an elaborate jade vase and an antique seal, a present to her father in 1924 - who wrote to thank his only daughter and say how much he missed her “the first Christmas you have been absent,” although noting he was unsure when she might get the letter as “the post is so very erratic at Christmas time.” Also listed are spectacle cases, a bed jacket, a silver tea strainer and soap with the princess - who married Henry Viscount Lascelles, later the 6th Earl of Harewood, in 1922 - keeping track of gifts given and received in a series of organised ring binders. The princess, who went on to have two sons, wrote in 1930 to thank her parents for the gift of a coal scuttle “now in my sitting room,” as well as “a most useful table” and thanks her mother, as she has “really spoiled” the children with a toy fort. Says 34-year-old Beckie:“The breadth of what she gives is incredible and she has a real encyclopaedic approach to it - those binders are a very non-digital but useful spreadsheet! “She also sent about 600 cards to family and friends each year, while the royal family would also exchange tokens at New Year and Easter - the gift buying must have seemed relentless. “But just like we do today, they’d ask what they thought they should buy for others or suggest things. Often Queen Mary would send letters to her only daughter and include some notes inside, specifically with gift ideas that she'd seen when she was out shopping - things she thought Mary might like. “Today we might snap a photo of something and send it - it’s an earlier version of that.” One of Harewood’s prized possessions is a Cartier owl ornament, a gift from Queen Mary to her daughter, who she knew had a particular fondness for the bird. Just like families across the land, the Royal Family enjoyed its Christmas traditions and later swapped stories of how the festivities had gone, in particular the exchange of gifts on Christmas Eve - a German custom established by Prince Albert. On Boxing Day 1922, Queen Mary wrote to her daughter describing how the family had "gone up to the big table as usual” on Christmas Eve, to receive gifts in the ballroom and that “dear Grannie” - Dowager Queen Alexandra - “had arranged it all so nicely in spite of all the many disturbances and the calls on her time”. There were tensions too. The following year the Queen reported that “naughty David never turned up till dinner time as he was hunting all day” - a reference to her son, who became King Edward VII, before abdicating. The King had been less than pleased, too, with his son, Prince Henry, known as Harry, arriving late “which we thought very rude.” Says Beckie, who has been at Harewood for more than 12 years: “Family dynamics are the same whether you’re royal or not. Whether that’s granny trying to make Christmas lovely for everyone, or those little annoyances the festivities amplify. The personal nature of the archive makes it all feel very familiar.” Princess Mary’s devotion to gift giving started well before her move to Harewood as a bride. In 1914 the princess, who became aunt to Queen Elizabeth II, launched an appeal to send every member of the armed services involved in the war effort a Christmas present, in the form of a small brass box containing goodies from pencils and sweets to chocolate to tobacco. In all, £15m was raised and 2.5m boxes - all bearing her profile - were sent. Princess Mary, who died in 1965, has been described by historians as “intelligent and no-nonsense” and a woman ahead of her time - training during WWI as a paediatric nurse at Great Ormond Street Hospital in London and later promoting the Women’s Land Army. President of the British Girl Guide Association until she died, she was later immortalised on the big screen in the 2019 Downtown Abbey movie, some of which was filmed on the estate. Her descendants still use the private apartments at Harewood to celebrate family gatherings at Christmas. Explains Beckie: “Princess Mary lived through the 20th century, an incredibly tumultuous period. She saw two world wars, an abdication, huge social change and she was at the heart of it all. “We try to use Harewood’s history to inform what we do today and Christmas here is unique because of that. Now her festive stories are brought back to life for a new generation.” Known to her colleagues as “Mrs Christmas," head of public programming at Harewood House, Zoe Hughes, and her team are responsible for delivering the seasonal festivities at the 18th century country pile - with 14 rooms, 13 fireplaces, corridors, staircases and 18 outdoor trees to dress. That means co-ordinating an army of volunteers to install 10,000 baubles, 1,500m of fairy lights and around 150m of garlands. Like the rest of us, many of the same decorations are re-purposed from one year to the next. Laughs Zoe: “We don’t get them down from the loft - we have specialist storage for them - but it’s important to avoid waste. We do add to the stock, because Christmas here just gets bigger every year.” For 2026, the house will present Magic at the Mansion, a collaboration with immersive multimedia experts Studio McGuire, showcasing some of the stories of Christmas at Harewood. Specialist projection mapping will bring everyday objects to life and tell the tales of festive seasons past in the house. Zoe says: ”The idea is that a magical spell has animated some of our treasures - expect talking plates and pillows among other things! We know adults as well as children are going to love it.” *Magic at the Mansion at Harewood House runs from Friday 6 Nov 2026 to Sunday 3 Jan 2027