Meghan and Harry release their official 2023 Christmas card and thank fans for support

New BBC The Traitors star Brian Davidson has been overwhelmed with support following the announcement he's one of the fresh crop of contestants pitting their wits against each other in season two, which launches tonight.

The Royal Family are known for giving out gag gifts for Christmas, which they exchange on December 24 - in order to honour their German heritage.

The Royal Family take part in many traditions each Christmas - some of which are classic and others which are unique to them. From attending a church service, just like many of us up and down the UK to opening their presents on Christmas Eve to pay homage to their German heritage, the royals' day will be enjoyed by everyone. But every year, the family attracts huge amounts of criticism for one custom that traditionally takes place on Boxing Day.

The Royal Family's Christmas celebrations are famously similar to many other families up and down the country - albeit with a few more unique elements thrown in which take their historic German roots into account. While we can expect to see everyone from The King and the Queen to The Prince and Princess of Wales with Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis in attendance on the morning walk to St Mary Magdalene Church, what do they get up the rest of the day? The main dinner on Christmas Day is one of the most highly anticipated meals of the year and it’s no secret that we like it to run as smoothly as possible.

While they observe many of the festive traditions that a popular all over the UK, the Royal Family's Christmas is also unique and unexpected in many ways. From paying homage to their Germanic roots and opening their presents on Christmas Eve to taking part in a traditional Boxing Day hunt, some aspects of the royal Christmas hark back to their rich history.

Express as saying the Royal Family’s Christmas gifts to one another are “always jokey” and a “bit of fun.”“But with William and Kate, I’m sure they will give each other something nice that they will like. Kate will probably get a watch or some jewelry from William,” he revealed.Kate is regularly seen sporting her favorite round Ballon Bleu de Cartier watch, which she received in 2014.

The Royal Family will be counting down the days to Christmas where they will return to the Sandringham Estate and spend time together as a family. When it comes to what the royals choose to eat during the festive period, it is said their choices couldn't be more traditional with former royal chef Darren McGrady going as far to describe the family's meal choices as "boring".

The Royal Family spend the festive period on the Sandringham Estate and enjoy several key traditions. One of these sees the royals follow the customs of their German heritage and open their gifts on Christmas Eve. However, it is clear that Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis will also be visited by Father Christmas on the main day itself.

The Royal Family have introduced many customs which have gone on to become popular traditions over the years.

Members of the Royal Family will spend Christmas at Sandringham House in Norfolk with their annual trip to church and a host of festive traditions. One of which is opening their presents on Christmas Eve, a tradition they've held for years. King Charles and Queen Camilla will be hosting Christmas this year, joined by their families including Prince William and Kate Middleton along with their three children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.

Who knew a Christmas card would spark so much controversy!

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's desperate attempts to reshape their narrative have been "blown out of the water", a royal expert claims.

As we begin the countdown to The Most Wonderful Time of the Year, it’s time to deck the halls, start thinking about what you will eat on the big day and make a dent in the Christmas shopping.The Royal Family is notorious for their special festive traditions, from opening presents on Christmas Eve to allegedly banning the game Monopoly. But the best unique tradition is surely how the family buy one another joke presents each year. Among funny stories of leather toilet seats, singing hamsters and shower caps, one gift the Princess of Wales bought Prince Harry before he married surely takes the crown.

Over the years, the Royal Family have introduced many customs which have gone on to become popular traditions. One of the most famous of these is the Christmas tree which is thought to have first seen in the UK thanks to King George III's wife, Queen Charlotte.

The Christmas period is a time for love and peace but as the festive season rolls in King Charles seems to be increasingly anxious about what his estranged son Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle's next move might be.

Taylor Swift, Beyoncé and Harry Styles to pay a levy to help the nation’s small and medium-sized live music spaces.Angus Robertson, SNP Culture Secretary, has said he would consider the tax amid concerns over the future of arts funding in Scotland.It came after he was questioned in Holyrood by Green MSP Mark Ruskell, who suggested that the introduction of just a £1 levy on each ticket could help raise over a million pounds per year.Robertson went on to say that “new thinking” was needed in terms of arts funding in the country.He explained: “We have gone through a pivot point during the pandemic; there has been a change in social behaviours and there has been extreme distress in the arts and cultural sector.“We acknowledge that and we have tried to support the sector through that difficult period.”Robertson added: “The levy proposal is worthy of further consideration.”The Music Venue Trust (MVT) said 120 grassroots venues have closed across Britain in 2023 alone, and that Scotland is “disproportionately” affected (via The Times).Those in favour of the levy have suggested that the additional £1 would go unnoticed by most concertgoers as tickets for these huge shows usually have high prices to begin with.However, critics have claimed that the tax could further price out those on lower incomes because these concerts are already expensive and come with additional fees.Tickets for Taylor Swift‘s upcoming ‘Eras Tour’ dates at the Murrayfield Stadium in Edinburgh, for example, cost £109.40 for general standing access.

Vanity Fair that there is absolutely “no chance” of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex joining the family at Sandringham for the holidays.The reason?Harry’s estranged brother, Prince William, and his wife, Kate Middleton, allegedly have “hostility” toward them.The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, both 41, also refuse to be in the same room as the Invictus Games founder, 39, and the former actress, 42, “let alone spend Christmas with them.”King Charles III is reportedly anxious about inviting the couple to the Yuletide holiday, but would have “loved nothing more than” to celebrate with his son and grandkids, Archie and Lilibet.“But it’s not that simple and there is no chance the Sussexes will be coming,” the source explained. “It would make things very difficult because there is still so much hostility towards Harry and Meghan, particularly from the Prince and Princess of Wales.”“Charles is also deeply nervous about the risks of conversations being leaked by the Sussex camp, which is why there have been very few of them.”Things have been tense within the Firm in recent months, with the release of Omid Scobie’s book “Endgame” in November.The Dutch version of the biography named two members of the royal family that allegedly raised questions about the color of Archie’s skin before he was born.Middleton, 41, and Charles, 75, were the two people who reportedly made the racist comments, according to Piers Morgan.

Meghan Markle has revealed there's one Christmas gift she won't be getting for her little Prince Archie, four, this year after he was inspired by a close family friend. During a recent Netflix Q&A for the newly released short film The After, Meghan shared some adorable details about Archie's personality. Meghan chatted with British actor David Oyelowo, along with close friend and photographer Misan Harriman in Montecito, California, where she lives with husband Prince Harry and children Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.

Kate Micucci said Monday that she is cancer-free after having surgery a week ago following a lung cancer diagnosis.

Members of the Royal Family are renowned for their unique festive traditions. From allegedly banning the game Monopoly after the competition became too "vicious" to choosing to open presents on Christmas Eve in line with the family's German roots, there's a whole host of quirks. But when it comes to what is served for the Christmas meal, the family couldn’t be more traditional.