The royal family exchange ‘joke’ presents every year on Christmas Eve

THE Queen’s corgis mauled a Christmas present gifted to her by Meghan Markle, it has been claimed.

The Duchess of Sussex gifted a “bizarre” hamster toy to the Queen in 2017 during Meghan’s first trip to Sandringham for the festive season.

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Meghan Markle gifted the Queen a hamster toy for Christmas

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Meghan gave the Queen a hamster toy
Harry and Meghan had just announced their engagement, with the pair joining the rest of the Royal Family at The Queen’s estate for Christmas.

And the former Suits actress reportedly hit the nail on the head when she bought the Queen a singing hamster toy for her first Christmas with the royals.

The royal family famously exchange cheap presents on Christmas Eve, which is a German tradition that was incorporated in the royal family’s celebrations by Queen Victoria and Prince Albert.

Speaking to The Sun, royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams said: “Meghan for her first Christmas made the bizarre choice of getting the Queen this little creature.

“It was this little toy of a hamster. It was one of these little gifts that the royal family get each other as a joke.

“The tradition in Sandringham is to give these little sort of gag gifts on Christmas Eve.

“I presume Harry must have had a hand in helping choose the hamster. It squeaks and held a little rope.

“But yes, it’s believed they all had a good laugh about it.”

But he said the toy then met an untimely fate – with the Queen’s corgis then “having their turn” and “ripping it up”.

He added: “The hamster was a very weird choice but I’m sure it went down very well.”

It’s not clear exactly who will be at the Royals’ Christmas celebrations this year – however, it’s unlikely that Harry and Meghan will be in the UK.

Instead, the couple are expected to celebrate the festive season in the US with their kids, Archie and Lilibet.

Princess Kate and William are expected to spend Christmas at Sandringham.

And it’s previously been revealed Princess Kate and Prince William try to keep their own kids grounded with the Christmas presents they buy.

Speaking to OK! royal expert Jennie Bond shared: “I think William and Kate are very keen to keep their children’s feet on the ground, so not spoil them too much at Christmas.”

Royal expert Phil Dampier told Fabulous that family presents are displayed on carefully labelled tables at Sandringham.

He explained: “All the presents are carefully placed on cloth-covered trestle tables, with a name card marking each family member’s pile of gifts.

“Then, just as the monarch has done since Queen Victoria first started the German tradition of opening presents on Christmas Eve, the King will give the signal for everyone to dive in.

“The children get serious presents, sometimes even horses or guns, but the adults share joke gifts worth very little.”

CHRISTMAS GREETINGS

It comes after the Duke and Duchess of Sussex unveiled their virtual Christmas greeting card through email on Friday 15 December.

Sent on behalf of their Archewell organisation, it featured a gorgeous photo of the pair beaming.

Meghan, 42, can be seen wearing a gorgeous strapless green dress with her brunette mane tied back into a low bun.

Meanwhile, 39-year-old Prince Harry can be seen in a black suit with a matching shirt underneath.

The photo was taken during the closing ceremony of the 2023 Invictus Games, which took place in Germany.

The pair could be seen clapping as the U.S. team walked onto the stage as Bruce Springsteen’s hit song Born in the USA played at the time.

“We wish you a very happy holiday season,” they wrote on the card. “Thanks for all the support in 2023!”

It also linked to the pair’s annual Archewell Foundation impact report, which had a video highlighting some of the work their most proud of from this year.

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The Queen’s corgis loved Meghan’s present to the late Queen