royal festive drinks

Royals' favourite Christmas tipples: The Queen, Prince William and more

How the royals will toast Christmas Day...

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Deputy Lifestyle Editor
December 19, 2020

They may not raise a glass together this year following the coronavirus pandemic, but it's likely that the royal family will continue to toast Christmas in their own residences. 

As well as traditional mulled wine and whisky, the Queen and other royals have some surprising drink choices.

READ: Find out what Christmas drink you should be sipping based on your star sign

From cocktails to cider and champagne, we take a look at the tipple that will likely be favoured by Prince William, Meghan Markle, Camilla Parker Bowles and more royals this Christmas.

WATCH: 5 of the royal family's favourite foods of all time

The Queen

It is believed that Her Majesty and Co normally begin the festivities on Christmas Eve with the exchange of gifts and a drink – in the Queen's case, a martini.

Her Majesty loves a martini on Christmas Eve

In Channel 5 documentary, Inside Sandringham: Holidaying With The Queen, royal expert Ingrid Seward said: "I think the queen likes a Martini, other people would rather have Champagne."

We imagine it would be a gin martini since the monarch's former chef Darren McGrady told CNN: "She likes a gin and Dubonnet. That's her favourite drink." 

Prince Philip

Prince Philip keeps it simple with pale ale

The Duke of Edinburgh neither joins his wife with a martini nor opts for champagne, but is more likely to choose an everyday staple such as his favoured Boddingtons beer.

MORE: The royal family's Christmas menu: breakfast, lunch, dinner AND afternoon tea

Ingrid continued: "Prince Philip isn’t a great drinker, he always used to drink pale ale."

Princess Eugenie

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The pregnant royal may not be planning to drink this year, but in previous years it's possible Princess Eugenie opted for a tequila cocktail made with Casamigos, of which her husband Jack Brooksbank is a brand ambassador.

The pair even served it at their royal wedding in 2018, with Jack stating: "I’ve not been kept out of all the planning. I get to decide some things. I’m in charge of drinks and we’ll be serving Casamigos." 

Prince William

Cider is William's drink of choice

Like his dad, Prince William appears to enjoy a pint of beer or cider, even describing himself as "a cider man" during a visit to the Rose and Crown in Norfolk in July 2020.

RELATED: 11 unusual Christmas snacks from Tesco, Sainsbury's & Lidl that will divide the nation

Had the royals' traditional Sandringham gathering gone ahead as usual this year, we predict William would be reaching for a glass of cider made from apple trees on the royal Sandringham estate.

Meghan Markle

Meghan and Harry may even make their own mulled wine

It's no secret that the Duchess of Sussex loves red wine – she even named her former lifestyle blog The Tig after Tignanello.

"At the end of a long day, there is nothing I enjoy more than a glass of wine. I used to be of the 'it doesn't matter, so long as it's red' persuasion, but then I grew up, and so did my palate," Meghan told Today in 2012.

We wonder if Prince Harry will join Meghan in raising a glass this Christmas – or perhaps they'll warm some with spices to create their own homemade mulled wine.

Prince Charles

The Prince of Wales has been pictured enjoying whisky samples during royal visits

Prince Charles not only loves Scotch whisky – like Princess Anne – but he also sells his own Highgrove Organic Single Malt Scotch. Add a splash of spring water and the royals drink is complete!

READ: The royal family's go-to pubs revealed

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