It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas at Windsor Castle! The Queen’s Christmas decorations have been put up at her royal residences, and they’re just as spectacular as ever. Photos released on Friday show a 23ft Norman Fir Christmas tree has been put in St George’s Hall at the castle, adorned with 7,000 twinkling fairy lights and gorgeous gold decorations – along with some very regal crown-shaped ornaments.
Another 15ft Christmas tree has been placed in the Crimson Drawing Room in the castle, and it has been decorated with beautiful red baubles and decorations to tie in with the room’s stunning colour scheme. The trees were sourced from Windsor Great Park, before being delivered to the castle and decorated in time for advent to begin.
The Queen has a 23ft Christmas tree in St George's Hall at Windsor Castle
Richard Williams, the Royal Collection Trust's learning curator, said: "The huge tree in St George's Hall is from the Windsor Great Park, so it's actually grown in the grounds surrounding the castle. It's a Nordmann Fir and it has something like 7,000 separate lights on it, so it's a major, major scale, it took a day and a half to decorate so teams were up very, very tall ladders."
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However, Her Majesty won’t be spending much time at Windsor to enjoy the decorations. The Queen traditionally spends the festive break on the Sandringham Estate with husband Prince Philip and other close family members. She also ignores superstition to keep her Christmas decorations up way past Twelfth Night, opting to keep her tree up until 6 February each year – the anniversary of her father’s death.
There is also a 15ft tree in the Crimson Drawing Room
King George VI passed away on 6 February 1952 at Sandringham House, and she stays there each year to mark the anniversary in private before returning to Buckingham Palace. It is believed by many to be bad luck to keep decorations up past Twelfth Night (5 January), or Epiphany (6 January). However, it appears the Queen doesn't believe in these superstitions and has instead created her own traditions over the festive period. And while her residence Windsor Castle has fabulously OTT Christmas décor, the decorations at her Sandringham home are said to be much more understated.
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One of the other traditions kept by the Queen and her family is that they gift Christmas trees to all the churches and schools in the Sandringham area, meaning that plenty of lucky youngsters will be able to enjoy a Christmas tree from Her Majesty herself! The royal also gifts Christmas trees to St. Paul's Cathedral, St Giles' Cathedral and Westminster Abbey as well as Canongate Kirk in Edinburgh.
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