Even royalty has a penchant for a trip to the department store. Queen Camilla, 77, was recently spotted shopping at a branch of Fortnum & Mason on December 17. This store, with its Royal Warrant and long-time royal favor, has a special place in the hearts of the royals. It was a favorite of Camilla's late mother-in-law, Queen Elizabeth.

Tea Shopping at Fortnum & Mason

While shopping, Camilla was seen browsing the tea section. She eventually settled on a set of cinnamon and orange black tea, surrounded by her aides as she made her choice. According to The Daily Mail, she browsed "for some time" and was "almost unnoticed" by other shoppers. However, she was eventually "spotted by a man who was in the store buying the same tea for his wife." This incident took him by surprise as he saw the Queen standing opposite him.The store's website reveals that Queen Elizabeth II continued the family tradition of doing Christmas shopping in store, which had to be arranged months in advance. Like her daughter-in-law, Queen Elizabeth was a fan of giving tea as gifts. The list of provisions provided for her and her mother to give as presents shows a shared practical bent of mind, with breakfast trays, breakfast sets, garden furniture, and hostess trolleys being particularly popular.

Pre-Christmas Lunch and Sandringham Celebrations

Queen Camilla joined her husband King Charles for his annual pre-Christmas lunch on December 19. This lunch was held in London at Buckingham Palace and took place before the couple decamped to the Sandringham estate in Norfolk for the traditional royal Christmas celebrations. This year, a new face will be joining them - Camilla's son, Tom Parker Bowles.Tom, 49, will be attending the Christmas celebrations at Sandringham for the first time. He shared his excitement with The Telegraph, saying, "My mum said, 'I'd love you to come, I haven't had Christmas with you for a long time.'" When asked about the royal Christmas at Sandringham, he said, "I genuinely know nothing about it. But I know there's turkey and sprouts and church. And I have to bring a suit and a dinner jacket."Compared to his traditional Christmas celebrations, he described it as a bit different. "For the past 15 years, it has been I go back to my ex-wife's house, sit in my tracksuit bottoms, go to the pub while the beef's in, then try to get my children to watch The Wild Geese. Classic," he said. "So this would be a bit different."

Post-Holiday Gatherings

Though Tom and his children don't typically spend December 25 with Queen Camilla, she often joins Tom, her daughter Laura Lopes, and their father (and Camilla's ex-husband) Andrew Parker Bowles for a post-holiday get-together. Tom said, "My mother and father are still great friends, and we will go down on December 27 and my mother will sometimes come. It is something to work towards. It's a maturity that is a great thing if - despite a marriage sometimes not working - you can keep it together for the sake of the children and the sake of each other, then it's a very good thing."