Royal experts have opened up about the unglamorous truth of Christmases at Sandringham

The royal family is undoubtedly the most talked-about in the world, particularly at Christmas, with the Mountbatten-Windsors known to go all out over the festivities.

Yes, royal Christmases at Sandringham are legendary - featuring joke gift exchanges on Christmas Eve, a family-wide ban on Monopoly and of course a sitdown feast, with guests reportedly weighed in a time-old tradition to ensure that they have eaten enough.

And with Princess Beatrice, Duchess Sophie and the Prince and Princess of Wales among those in attendance this year, the royal Christmas proceedings are expected to be star-studded.

However, according to royal commentators, the reality of Christmas at Sandringham is very different to what members of the public would expect. And while royal festivities are traditional, they are also remarkably unglamorous.

Yes, during a recent appearance on Mail+'s 'Palace Confidential', royal editor Rebecca English opened up about the truth of staying at Sandringham, describing it as far more "old fashioned" and less "glamorous" than many would believe.

This is particularly true of the sleeping arrangements, with the commentators discussing reports of old fashioned beds and spacing issues in the past.

"I've been told in the past that Sandringham can fit about 16 to 18 people to have a sleepover comfortably," royal editor Rebecca English explained. "In fact, in previous years I've been told that they've actually had to kick staff out of their quarters. And Edward and Sophie were put in some of the staff quarters because they had nowhere else to stay."

"It sounds more glamorous than it is," she added, going on to refer to the sleeping arrangements as "fish finger beds" - "old fashioned beds with the really creaky bed springs at the bottom."

Of course, there are numerous properties on the Sandringham estate, with Prince William and Princess Kate owning an abode of their own. And with the Wales family previously using their 10-bedroom Georgian manor, Anmer Hall, as their full-time base, it is said to be extremely comfortable.

Commentators have also explained how the Wales family's on-site property affords them a lot of privacy, particularly when Sandringham House is full. And with the family of five reported to be spending a lot of this year's festivities privately, this will no doubt give them space.

Well that's that.