Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis were forced to hand back many of their Christmas gifts received by members of the public due to royal protocol.
The official royal gift policy, that applies to all royals regardless of age, outlines strict criteria for accepting presents from members of the public who are not personally known to the royals.
The royal children, aged 11, nine and six respectively, joined their parents Prince William and Kate Middleton for the annual December 25 gathering outside St Mary Magdalene church on the Sandringham Estate in Norfolk.
Members of the public lined the streets to catch a glimpse of the Royal Family and present them with gifts.
Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis were forced to hand back many of their Christmas gifts
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Acceptable gifts include flowers, foodstuff and other consumable items in reasonable quantities.
Books presented by their authors are permitted, provided the subject matter is not controversial.
Other items may be accepted if they have a small monetary value, ideally less than £150.
It remains unclear what happens to the gifts after the Royal Family, particularly the children, initially accept them.
The children were handed so many Christmas presents during the traditional Sandringham walkabout that they needed assistance carrying their gifts.
Prince William was left visibly shocked by the sheer volume of presents as the children collected their festive offerings
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The sheer volume of presents left Prince William, 42, visibly shocked as the children collected their festive offerings.
Young Prince Louis was particularly overwhelmed by the gifts, turning to his father for help, asking: “Papa, can you carry some?”
The royal children received an array of presents including cuddly toys, boxes of chocolate, books and flowers from well-wishers.
The traditional Christmas Day walkabout follows the morning church service at St Mary Magdalene on the Sandringham Estate.
At one point during the festivities, Louis showed his enthusiasm for the gift-giving, moving forward eagerly to receive more presents, but quickly halted when his father gave a gentle command.
The young royals hands were full of presents from the crowd
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A heartwarming moment was captured when Prince William made a playful comment as well-wishers attempted to give Louis chocolates.
“No, no, you can’t give all the chocolates! Definitely not,” the future King said to the crowd.
He added: “You’ve got to keep them for yourself as well.”
The exchange was caught on video and shared on social media, showing an excited Louis standing behind his father.
The young prince’s hands were already full of presents from the crowd at this point, demonstrating the generosity of the well-wishers gathered at Sandringham.
