A Right Royal Christmas demonstrates that our present-day festival has much deeper roots than Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, who are usually given credit for 'inventing' it - with a little help from Charles Dickens, of course. Through princely diaries, letters and journals, and the eyes of outside observers, this anthology eavesdrops on royal festivities over many centuries. From William the Conqueror's Christmas Day coronation; Thomas a Becket's murder; Queen Victoria and Albert's first Christmas tree through to Queen Elizabeth II's visit to the USA during the bicentennial celebrations. This book is packed with extracts from writers, including T.S. Eliot, Robert Graves, Simon Schama, Elizabeth Longford, and many others in this witty and entertaining anthology of royal merry making over the centuries.