12 British Royal Christmas Traditions That Will Surprise You

The Queen, of course, has access to the royal train, but she prefers to travel down to the Sandringham Estate ahead of the Christmas festivities on a regularly scheduled service, along with members of the public. A single off-peak first-class ticket currently costs just £54.90 (around $83 US), but she will commandeer a whole carriage for her party. She usually arrives at the house between Dec. 17 and 20 to oversee the last of the preparations, and the rest of the family descends on Christmas Eve.