The royal palaces’ Christmas decorations are steeped in history and sentiment, but there are also some brand-new additions and some very special presents that are awaiting their opening.
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.”
A tall Nordmann fir tree is traditionally imported from Windsor Great Park and displayed in the Crimson Drawing Room in St George’s Hall. The trees are installed in November, according to Kathryn, and the selection is typically made in September. We can be certain that we choose the healthy trees by picking them ourselves.
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The St George’s Hall centerpiece is roughly the size of a two-story building, measuring 20 feet tall. The giant fir needs a small army of volunteers to add twinkly lights and baubles to the decoration. It takes a lot of work to decorate it, Kathryn says, because it requires about 3, 000 lights. The balcony at the end of St. George’s Hall can be used to reach the tree’s top, but access to the upper branches requires a small cherry-picker.
Size is unquestionably important when it comes to tree decorations. According to Kathryn, “many of the foil decorations we use on the St. George’s Hall tree are 50 cm or larger in diameter, and many of the baubles are larger than footballs.” We also use fake foliage stems of all kinds, colors and textures, sparkling wired branches, ribbons, wreaths, garlands, and fake fruit, among others.
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 alternate between the homes’ decorations to provide variety, and we source UK-made tinsel in the form of recycled and recycled. In the Royal Collection, there are no documented historical Christmas decorations. This is probably because they were worn or replaced when edible; for instance, in the 19th century, sweets and nuts were frequently tied to the branches.
Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, who resided at Windsor Castle in the middle of the 18th century, are credited in large part for making it such a popular destination during the festive season. Kathryn points out that they shared Christmas traditions there and that this is largely responsible for the popularity of the Christmas tree in Britain.
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.”
Visitors can also take in the stunning garlands that line the Grand Staircase at the State Apartments, as well as the ornamental wreaths and foliage that decorate the grounds.
The Trust made the first-ever additions to the tiny rooms of Queen Mary’s dolls’ house in Windsor last year. These included elaborate 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.
Over 1,500 artists, craftspeople, and manufacturers were represented in the dolls’ house, and a 45cm-tall model of a Christmas tree was created to celebrate its centenary last year. The tree has a partridge resting on one of the branches and contains miniature hand-painted golden pears, Kathryn says. “The tree proved to be very popular, so we will be displaying it again this year.”
The Edinburgh Palace of Holyroodhouse is renowned elsewhere for its festive splendor. The centerpiece is the wood-paneled Throne Room, which was replaced last year by two magnificent 12-foot trees.
Garlands, berries, and foliage dotted the stairs leading to the historic State Apartments, along with a 15-foot Nordmann fir tree and two elaborate mantels that transformed the storied Great Gallery. At the main entrance and gates, festive wreaths were greeted outside. The table was set in the Queen Victoria’s Royal Dining Room, which had a silver service and was laden with fruits and foliage.
Although Sandringham, a private royal residence, has a slightly more formal design, great care is being made to make the setting a little more opulent for the family’s annual gathering. A tall main tree and others in various sitting areas and corridors are typical sources of fires for the Norfolk estate. The trees are decorated with family-style ornaments that have been passed down through the generations.
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.
Millions of viewers watch the monarch’s annual Christmas Day speech from one of the most significant trees. The King delivered his speech at Fitzrovia Chapel in London last year, and the tree featured sustainable decorations like pine cones, metal bells, twisted glass, and glass baubles. The Royal Trinity Hospice in Clapham, which is the country’s oldest hospice, received the tree after the broadcast.
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.
The store will display etched crystal wine glasses inspired by a wine-cooling vessel used by Queen Victoria, as well as gins made with botanicals from the grounds of Windsor Castle and Buckingham Palace. The Guard Mouse, a children’s book from the 1960s that was just recently republished by the Royal Collection Trust, will also be decorated and served as candy. We are aware of our destination if we are stranded looking for last-minute presents.
Source: Mirror
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