Why King Charles "Hates" Being Given This Type of Christmas Gift

There are plenty of rules when it comes to Christmas with the British royal family, from when to open gifts to who receives an invitation to Sandringham church service and the family dinner. Apparently, there are also rules on what not to gift King Charles during the most wonderful time of year.

Former royal butler Grant Harrold told The Mirror that King Charles doesn't like getting a Christmas gift that's overly lavish or expensive. Instead, the reigning monarch prefers something more sentimental or affordable that falls within his personal set of interests.

"The King hates being given anything extravagant and expensive," Harrold explained. "He'd be embarrassed if you spent a fortune on him. He'd say, 'That's lovely but you really shouldn't have.' So, at Christmas, I used to give him books on Victorian gardening or honey-based products because I know how much he loves honey."

With the royals's status, it's an common misconception amongst royal fans that they might like Christmas gift that are in line with their earnings. "Everyone assumes the royals only shop in the poshest stores. But they go to the same shops that we do," the butler continued. "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. The royals enjoy a bargain."

The apple doesn't fall too far from the tree, as Queen Elizabeth II had her own hang ups with extravagant gifts. Daily Beast reported in October that Elizabeth liked opening gifts on Christmas Eve and "disliked extravagance and overt expressions of consumerism;" as such, she "preferred Christmas Day to have a sacred note." Kate Middleton, however, reportedly finds the tradition "weird" and plans to change it when she becomes queen.

Read the original article on InStyle