Navigating a royal Christmas with quirky rules, multiple costume changes in one day, and dozens of family members under the same roof would intimidate even the most casual guest. When it came to celebrating Christmas at Sandringham, former royal butler Paul Burrell told “Marie Claire” that Princess Diana was surprisingly not a big fan. [Burrell, who worked for the late Princess Diana from 1987 to 1997, says that no matter how much Princess Diana hated going to the annual Christmas festivities, “she knew it was her duty.”

“For her, Christmas was her duty to be there with Harry, William, her estranged husband, and the Royal Family,” the former butler said on behalf of Spin Jenny. “Back then she was still a member of the Royal Family and had to grin and bear it.”

Burrell told “Marie Claire” that Princess Diana insisted on vacationing with her own family.

“She tried to get out of there as quickly as possible, but there was a huge personality there that she couldn't handle,” Burrell says of the atmosphere at Sandringham.

No wonder Diana found it difficult. During the early years when Burrell was working for the princess, her marriage was falling apart. Add a pile of in-laws who were not necessarily on the same page and a jam-packed schedule of activities, and it was a recipe for festive disaster.

“The Christmas sandringham is like a pressure cooker of people and emotions,” Burrell adds. 'Some people can stand it, some can't. Diana couldn't stand it."

When Prince Charles and Princess Diana divorced and no longer had to celebrate Christmas with the royals, Burel tells ‘Marie Claire,’ the princess began spending Christmas alone. He explains, “Because she had no one to enjoy the day with.”

“I think it changed over time,” Burrell added, musing that “a different generation” could have participated. Instead, the late royal would have celebrated Christmas with Princes William and Harry “the weekend before.”

He recounted a particularly amusing (and awkward) episode in which Diana presented Prince William with a racy gag item in his stocking “to make him blush.”

As for Sandringham in 2024, Prince William recently told guests at a military Christmas party that the royal family expects 45 people for the annual holiday celebration. However, he may share at least some of his mother's feelings about the big party, revealing that what he is looking forward to is “long walks with the family dog” in the Norfolk countryside.