The Christmas decorations at the royal palaces are steeped in history and sentiment, but there’s also a few new additions and some very special gifts waiting to be opened
Monarchs first began celebrating Christmas at Windsor Castle in the 12th century, and the grand tree unveiling is always one of the highlights of the royal year. “The state apartments at Windsor were designed as magnificent backdrops for ceremony and entertaining,” says Kathyrn Jones, Senior Curator of Decorative Arts at Royal Collection Trust. “Many of the spaces have high ceilings and plenty of gilding, which act as perfect frames for the Christmas trees.”
In lofty St George’s Hall, a towering Nordmann fir tree is traditionally brought in from Windsor Great Park, with another on display in the Crimson Drawing Room. “The selection is usually made in September and the trees are installed in November,” explains Kathryn. “By selecting the trees ourselves, we can guarantee we pick healthy ones.”
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At around 20ft tall, the St George’s Hall centrepiece is roughly the size of a two-storey building. A small army of helpers are needed to decorate the giant fir with twinkly lights and baubles. “It requires around 3,000 lights, so it’s a long process to decorate it,” reveals Kathryn. “Fortunately, the balcony at the end of St George’s Hall can be used to help reach the very top of the tree, but a small cherry-picker is also needed to get to the upper branches.”
When it comes to the tree adornments, size certainly matters. “Some of the foil decorations we use on the St George’s Hall tree are 50cm or more in diameter, and many of the baubles are larger than footballs,” says Kathryn. “We also use stems of fake foliage of all different colours and textures, sparkling wired branches, snowflake decorations, ribbons, wreaths, garlands and faux fruit.”
With the environment being a key concern for King Charles, sustainability is a major priority for Kathryn and her colleagues. “The decorations are recycled and reused as much as possible,” she tells us.
“We switch decorations between the residences to provide variety, and we source recycled and recyclable tinsel made in the UK. There are no historic Christmas decorations in the Royal Collection; probably because they were used and replaced when worn, or they were edible – for example, sweets and nuts were often tied to the branches in the 19th century.”
The fact Windsor Castle is such a focal point during the festive period owes much to Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, who were based there in the mid-1800s. “They celebrated Christmas together there and the popularisation of the Christmas tree in Britain is largely due to them,” says Kathryn.
The castle is still considered to be the most atmospheric of all the royal residences during the festive season, and as royal correspondent Katie Nicholl says, “It really comes into its own and is just magical for the public at Christmas time. Although the royal family are more focused on Sandringham for their own festivities, Windsor is where visitors get to see the trees and decorations in all their glory.”
As well as checking out the trees, guests can admire the beautiful garlands that line the Grand Staircase at the entrance to the State Apartments, while in the grounds festive wreaths and foliage adorn gates and lampposts.
Last year, for the first time ever, the Trust added miniature decorations to the tiny rooms of Queen Mary’s dolls’ house at Windsor. These included miniature gilded-wood tree ornaments and designs inspired by 1920s embroidery and fringing.
As the largest and most famous dolls’ house in the world, it was built between 1921 and 1924 for Queen Mary, consort of King George V, by leading British architect Sir Edwin Lutyens.
The dolls’ house contains works from over 1,500 artists, craftspeople and manufacturers, and last year, a 45cm-tall model of a Christmas tree was made to mark its centenary year. “The tree features a partridge resting on one of the branches, with miniature hand-painted golden pears and proved to be very popular, so we will be displaying it again this year,” says Kathryn.
Elsewhere, the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh is renowned for its festive splendour. The wood-panelled Throne Room forms the centrepiece, with two magnificent 12-foot trees taking pride of place last year.
Another 15-foot Nordmann fir tree and two decorated mantelpieces helped transform the storied Great Gallery, while garlands, berries and foliage lined the stairs leading to the historic State Apartments. Outside, festive wreaths greeted visitors at the main entrance and gates. In the Royal Dining Room, which was used by Queen Victoria, the table was laid with a silver service and laden with fruits and foliage.
Although the décor is slightly toned down at Sandringham, which is a private royal residence, much effort is still made to ensure the surroundings are suitably celebratory for the family’s annual get-together. Firs are usually sourced from woodland on the Norfolk estate, with a tall main tree and others in various sitting rooms and corridors. Family ornaments that have passed down through the generations are used to adorn the trees.
At Clarence House in London, a custom that has now been in place for many years sees Queen Camilla invite children and their families to help with tree embellishment in the property’s library. Last year, her equerry Major Ollie Plunket used his military sword to hang the decorations, chosen by poorly youngsters being supported by Helen & Douglas House and Roald Dahl’s Marvellous Children’s Charity.
Another important tree is the one seen by millions of TV viewers during the monarch’s annual Christmas Day speech. Last year, the King gave his address at Fitzrovia Chapel in London, and the tree on show was decorated with sustainable decorations including pine cones, metal bells, twisted glass and glass baubles. After the broadcast, the tree was donated to the Royal Trinity Hospice in Clapham, which is the oldest hospice in the UK.
While that was the first time in nearly 20 years that the monarch delivered the Christmas Day speech outside a royal residence, another festive first has arrived this year in the form of a pop-up Christmas shop at Buckingham Palace Royal Mews. An area within the 200-year-old stables has been transformed into a boutique selling gifts, food and drink.
Seasonal treats for sale include gins infused with botanicals handpicked from the grounds of Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle, while the store will showcase etched crystal wine glasses inspired by a wine-cooling vessel once used by Queen Victoria. There will also be decorations and sweets based on The Guard Mouse, a children’s book from the sixties which was recently republished by the Royal Collection Trust. If we get stuck for last-minute presents, we know where we’ll be heading!
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