Dec 16, 2008, 10:00 GMT
Britain's Queen Elizabeth has decided to make her annual Christmas party biennial in a bid to combat the credit crunch.
The 82-year-old monarch - who is said to be decorating her Christmas tree with baubles from the shop in her London residence Buckingham Palace - is determined to cut back on festive costs, and thinks the party, which sees staff behave "outrageously", should only happen once every two years.
It has also been revealed staff at Buckingham Palace will be receiving a considerably smaller gift than they did last year - a pair of coasters.
Instead of gifts which traditionally reflect employees' level of service and grade, each member of staff will be presented with the same coasters.
A courtier told Britain's The Daily Mail newspaper: "It's a sign that even the palace is not insulated from the economic downturn. Of course, it's not her wish, but a decision that has been taken by the bean counters in the Privy Purse.
"Now we've been told we're all getting the same thing. It's a sure sign that things are tough."
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