The Royal Family have many of their own traditions, with one of the biggest being their Christmas plans.

Each year, members of the Royal Family gather at Sandringham with the monarch to celebrate the festive season, with these celebrations kicking off on Christmas Eve.

As well as a formal dinner before the big day, the family also share the German tradition of gift-giving on December 24, in what is believed to be a nod to the family’s German heritage.

The tradition, implemented by Prince Albert, reportedly takes place after the family share an afternoon tea.

While this is the norm for the Royal Family, other households across the UK tend to open presents on Christmas Day, something that some of the younger royals are believed to also do despite these Christmas Eve traditions.

This was revealed by Princess Kate on Christmas Day in 2018 during the annual Sandringham walkabout to church, as reported by The Mirror.

Speaking to wellwishers, the future Queen said her children Prince George and Princess Charlotte were “up very early” to open their gifts, suggesting that the younger royals may have moved away slightly from just this Christmas Eve tradition, instead opting to do a bit of both.

One royal expert believes this could be a sign of how Prince William and Kate, both 40, aim to modernise the Royal Family.

Former BBC royal correspondent Jennie Bond exclusively told OK!: “I don’t think they worry particularly about how they’re perceived at Christmas but I do think that Catherine and William want to do things in a more normal way.”

She continued: “They are lucky because they have their own home close to Sandringham so they’ve always been able to wake up there, do stockings and presents and then go over to the big house for the more formal celebrations.

“I suspect that when they are King and Queen a lot of traditions will change – and the exchange of presents on Christmas Eve may well be one of them.”

Prince William and Princess Kate will be at Sandringham this year with the Royal Family on Christmas Day, along with their three children Prince George, 11, Princess Charlotte, nine, and Prince Louis, six.

They are likely to return to their nearby home Amner Hall after the festivities of the day.