Why Princess Diana ‘hated’ spending Christmas with royal family?

Princess Diana reportedly ‘hated’ spending Christmas with the royal family at Sandringham Estate in UK. Ingrid Seward, editor-in-chief of Majesty magazine, revealed that Diana found the royal holiday traditions “claustrophobic.”
‘Diana hated Sandringham’
Speaking to Fox News Digital, Seward explained that Diana felt constrained by the royal customs, saying she did not want to follow so many rules to enjoy herself. “Diana hated Sandringham,” Seward said. “Even when her romance with Charles was going well, she still didn’t like it… I think she found it claustrophobic because Diana was such a free spirit. She didn’t want to have to enjoy herself with so many rules. [But] they’re not rules. They’re just traditions of royalty.” Seward noted that the order of precedence and other royal traditions made Diana uncomfortable.
‘No boisterous behavior’
In his 1992 book Diana: Her True Story, author Andrew Morton recounted Diana’s experience during her first Christmas at Sandringham in 1981. She had given expensive gifts, while the royal family exchanged gag gifts.
“It was highly fraught,” Diana told Morton. “I know I gave, but I can’t remember being a receiver. Isn’t that awful? I do all the presents, and Charles signs the cards. [It was] terrifying and so disappointing. No boisterous behavior, lots of tension, silly behavior, silly jokes that outsiders would find odd, but insiders understood.” Diana added, “I sure was [an outsider].”

Disappointment over gag gifts
Seward corroborated this story, sharing that a friend who worked at Sandringham witnessed Diana’s disappointment. Diana reportedly gave cashmere sweaters and other expensive items but received a simple, less thoughtful gift in return. “She just couldn’t understand [it],” Seward said. “To her, Christmas was all about spending a bit more than you could probably afford and getting really nice presents.”
Familiar yet unwelcome traditions
Despite her dislike for the traditions, Diana was familiar with Sandringham as her father had a house on the estate. However, her hairdresser, Richard Dalton, told author Kitty Kelley that Diana “hated going to Sandringham for Christmas,” mentioning the cold and the requirement to watch the Queen’s Christmas message on television. Dalton referred to it as a “command performance.” An unnamed friend also told author Tina Brown that Diana dreaded going to Sandringham.

Royal experts weigh in
Royal experts shared their views on Diana’s experience at Sandringham. Hilary Fordwich explained that Diana’s gift-giving experience was “embarrassing and painful,” as she wasn’t aware of the family’s gag gift tradition. Nick Bullen, co-founder of True Royalty TV, commented that the royals exchange “silly joke presents,” with author Christopher Andersen noting that Queen Elizabeth II preferred gag gifts. Andersen also claimed that Prince Charles’ favorite gift was a toilet seat from Princess Anne.
King Charles and Diana had separated in 1992 and divorced in 1996.