Special Holiday the Royal Family Never Celebrates and Why
There’s one holiday celebrated in several countries by millions of couples around the world that the members of the British royal family do not mark, and that is Valentine’s Day.
The holiday originated as a Catholic feast day for Saint Valentine and has evolved into a largely secular, commercial, and global holiday celebrated by people of various faiths and cultures. The day is widely recognized for romantic love, friendship, and exchanging gifts. So why don’t the royals celebrate it?
Here are what some of the family’s former employees have said about that.
Chef says the royals thought it was a silly holiday
Darren McGrady was a chef at Buckingham Palace for more than a decade, cooking for Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Philip, and others. He was later transferred to Kensington Palace, where he worked as Princess Diana’s personal chef up until her death in 1997.
He said that the royals did not celebrate Valentine’s Day when he worked there and explained why.
Speaking on behalf of Smooth Spins Casino, McGrady told Showbiz Cheat Sheet, “They didn’t celebrate Valentine’s at all. It was a silly holiday for them, I think. Absolutely not something that the royal family celebrated, even Princess Diana on that one.
“It’s not a proper holiday, and food-wise, it’s not really something you celebrate with a foodie thing. I know for a fact that Queen [Elizabeth II] or Prince Philip wouldn’t have gone out or requested a special meal for Valentine’s Day. Princess Diana certainly didn’t.”
Former butler says Princess Diana was a ‘romantic’ but King Charles wasn’t
Paul Burrell began working in the royal household when he was 18 years old and served as Queen Elizabeth II‘s personal footman. In 1987, he was moved to Charles and Diana’s household. When they separated, Burrell remained on staff and served as the princess’s butler until her tragic death.
Speaking on behalf of Prime Casino, Burrell shared: “[Valentine’s Day] was never a day for the royal family. It was more a day for the people … The royals never send cards to each other, which I could never understand … It must be a German tradition or something that is passed down, like opening your presents on Christmas Eve.”
However, Burrell said that Princess Diana was a “romantic” and gave her husband heartfelt cards at times, but he never gave her any.
“Diana was a girl of her time, and she was such a romantic,” the former royal butler recalled. “She did send romantic cards to Charles. She was very much in love with him … he never returned the compliment. He wasn’t romantic. He tried to be, but he didn’t have a romantic bone in his body.”
The Daily Beast noted that the royals “have never previously acknowledged the ‘Hallmark Holiday’ on social media,” until Feb. 14, 2025, when Prince William and the Princess of Wales (formerly known as Kate Middleton) broke the royal convention by posting a photo of the prince kissing his wife on the cheek with a heart emoji.
