It's Christmas! As our traditions get under way, the Royal Family has gathered at Sandringham for annual festivities - all before we hear from the King at 3pm. We'll also bring you the story behind classic Christmas songs and movies and test your knowledge along the way. Follow the latest.
Thursday 25 December 2025 09:09, UK
The annual Serpentine Swimming Club's Christmas Day race is about to get under way in London's Hyde Park.
The 100-yard race has been held every year since 1864 - meaning today is the 161st anniversary.
You can watch live for yourself in the video below.
By Mollie Malone, news correspondent at Sandringham
Loyal royal fans started queuing early here at Sandringham, the King's private estate in Norfolk.
At the front of the queue was John, from south London. He started at 9pm last night, and it's his third time here.
He told us he's on first name terms with William, and should he meet him again today - to deliver flowers for Katherine - it will be his seventh such meeting.
"What a way to celebrate Christmas with all the Royal Family," he told Paste BN.
Others have come from much further afield.
Elizabeth, all the way from Texas, likes the "history" of the Royal Family.
"A little bit of the glamour, the steadfastness, and service to the world," she said.
She described things for the family as being "tough" in dealing with the shadow of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, who won't be attending the church service for a second year running.
It's "full of hills and valleys".
"You pick yourself up. Keep going and find the courage," she said.
Noela, here from Canada with her daughter Jackie, for her Christmas present, believes more could have been done in their approach to dealing with Andrew.
It's "good" they've stripped Andrew of titles, she told Paste BN, but says they "should have done it sooner".
Andrew continues to "vigorously deny" all accusations against him related to his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein.
As is the case every year, the Royal Family is set to make an appearance at Sandringham's St Mary Magdalene Church for the Christmas morning service.
Royal fans have been queuing up there to catch a glimpse of the King, Queen and other members of the family as they make their way to church.
We're expecting to see them shortly.
In the meantime, here are just a couple of pictures of the tailgaters, some of whom have camped overnight for the best view...
Speaking of Donald Trump (see the post below this one for his on-brand festive message to children), it's his first Christmas since returning to the White House.
And that makes for an interesting backdrop to this year's decoration...
As is custom, Trump and the first lady also presided over a lighting ceremony for the White House's 32ft red spruce from Virginia...
The audience was dressed for the occasion...
We'll hear from our head of state this afternoon (that's the King, to be clear).
But, typically, we have already heard from the head of state across the Atlantic, where Donald Trump took calls from children.
There are two main things to take from his chats:
Taking part in a long-standing Christmas tradition, he and the first lady took calls from kids who had dialled into the North American Aerospace Defence Command, which tracks Santa's sleigh around the globe every Christmas Eve.
When asked by two children, aged four and 10 from Oklahoma, why Santa is being tracked, Trump replied:
"We want to make sure that he's not infiltrated, that we are not infiltrating into our country a bad Santa."
As the Trumps took about a dozen calls between them, the president frequently praised the state of the country, saying it is "in great shape" and the "numbers are great".
And to an eight-year-old girl in Kansas, who did not want coal as a gift, Trump said:
"You mean clean, beautiful coal. I had to do that, I'm sorry."
Rod lost his wife to cancer in 2017 - just a day after their 39th wedding anniversary - and he was "at a loss".
One thing that's got him through is a good chat, one that he knows he'll get when he calls Age UK's Silver Line service.
He's far from the only one who may feel the sting of loneliness more keenly at this time of year.
We caught up with Rod to find out more about how this service has helped him.
If you or anyone you know may benefit from something similar, you can always give the service a call on 0800 470 80 90 and someone will answer at any minute of any day.
The Royal Family's movements tend to take centre stage on Christmas Day, and we're expecting to see them this morning at Sandringham.
In fact, some of their most keen loyalists are already there, pitching for the best vantage point - but more on that later.
We've already seen Kate and her daughter Charlotte, who gave a surprise TV performance on the piano together last night.
They recorded the moment in the Inner Hall at Windsor Castle last week, playing Holm Sound by Erland Cooper, which is apparently a piece they enjoy practising at home together.
Watch for yourself below...
Christmas is a family holiday - and the Royal Family is no exception.
The Windsors adhere to some specific and quirky family traditions - like the rest of us - around the holidays.
Many of them go back decades if not centuries and are sometimes grounded in the Royal Family's links to various European noble houses.
Here's a rundown of the Windsors' most essential Christmas habits...
The Christmas luncheon
King Charles has continued his late mother's tradition of hosting a luncheon in the run-up to Christmas day.
This year, on 16 December, the entire Wales family and the York sisters Eugenie and Beatrice were among the attendants. But their father, the King's disgraced brother Andrew, didn't join.
Charles also once more hosted the event at Buckingham Palace like his mother. He had staged his first two luncheons at Windsor Castle.
Christmas at Sandringham
The Windsor family typically spend Christmas at their beloved country estate of Sandringham, Norfolk, some 100 miles north of London. On Christmas morning, they join a church service at St Mary Magdalene on the estate, an opportunity for the public to catch a glimpse of the royals.
Presents on Christmas Eve
The Windsors have German roots, including not only via the late Duke of Edinburgh but also via Queen Victoria's husband, Prince Albert, the progenitor of the Windsors' ancestry line, which was originally called the House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha.
Albert also brought cherished German Christmas traditions with him, including notably that the Royal Family exchanges presents on Christmas Eve after afternoon tea instead of Christmas Day.
Three Christmas trees...
Another German-inspired tradition, which the former House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha popularised in the UK..
German-born Queen Charlotte, consort of King George III, is credited with introducing Christmas trees to Britain in the 18th century.
But it was illustrations of Prince Albert and Queen Victoria decorating trees with their families that are believed to have spread the custom. The family also deployed fir trees rather than Charlotte's yew trees.
Today, the Royal Family famously erects three trees in Buckingham Palace's Marble Hall.
...and 750 Christmas cards
According to the Royal Trust Collection, the first official royal Christmas cards were sent in 1843, once more under the reign of Victoria and Albert.
Today, they're an important part of the royal Christmas routine: Paste BN understands that the King and Queen usually send some 750 cards to family, friends, staff and some British and Commonwealth prime ministers, governors-general and high commissions.
Pudding for staff
Members of the Royal Household usually receive Christmas presents from the King, some of which are handed out in person.
Staff also receive Christmas puddings - about 1,500 in total - accompanied by greeting cards, a tradition carried over from the reign of King George V and George VI.
Donations to charities in Windsor
It's another established habit that the Windsors donate money to charities in the eponymous town.
Moreover, Christmas trees have long been donated to Westminster Abbey, St Paul's Cathedral, St Giles' Cathedral, the Canongate Kirk in Edinburgh as well as churches and schools in the Sandringham area.
The King's Christmas message will air right here at 3pm (the last of a few events to watch out for while the sun's up today - as we outlined at 6.28).
This year, the annual address was filmed in the Lady Chapel inside Westminster Abbey, the second time the monarch has recorded it away from a royal residence.
The palace has revealed the abbey was chosen for the setting this year to reflect a major theme of the message, pilgrimage.
That's what we do know - what we don't is exactly what his message will address.
But there may be some hints from his approach last year...
A 19ft Norway spruce has been erected in front of No 10 this year, provided by Cadeby Tree Trust in Leicestershire.
Sir Keir Starmer switched on the lights on 1 December.
The prime minister also hosted a Christmas market-style showcase of small businesses to mark the occasion.
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