A Windsor wonderland! Castle where the Queen is spending Christmas is decorated with garlands, lights and a 20ft tree before the festive display opens to the public
- Windsor Castle State Apartments have been decorated with trees, lights and garlands for Christmas
- Visitors will be able to view the decorations, including a special Dining Room display, from tomorrow
- The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh will be spending Christmas at the royal residence this year
- Traditionally the couple pass the festive season at Sandringham, in Norfolk, with their family
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Households across the UK are decking the halls for Christmas – and Windsor Castle is no different.
The Berkshire royal residence, where the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh will be spending the festive season, has been transformed with twinkling lights, festive garlands and towering Christmas trees topped with angels.
Visitors will be able to view the dazzling decorations in the State Apartments – which are separate from the Queen’s private quarters – from tomorrow.
Dazzling decorations: Saff put the finishing touches on the 20-foot-high Christmas tree in St George’s Hall, the largest room in Windsor Castle. Visitors will be able to view the decorations in the State Apartments from tomorrow
Commemoration: To mark the bicentenary of George IV’s accession to the throne in 1820, the State Dining Room table will be laid with a spectacular display of his silver-gilt Grand Service, pictured
Full of festive cheer: Festive garlands adorn the Grand Staircase at Windsor Castle after being decorated for Christmas
To mark the bicentenary of George IV’s accession to the throne in 1820, the State Dining Room table will be laid with a spectacular display of his silver-gilt Grand Service.
The wartime ‘pantomime pictures’ remain on display in the Waterloo Chamber and on Saturdays throughout December, families visiting the Castle can enjoy storytelling and craft activities.
The Undercroft Café will be serving a special range of festive fare, from turkey sandwiches to cranberry and orange éclairs.
It was announced yesterday that the Queen and Prince Philip will spend Christmas ‘quietly’ at Windsor Castle.
The Queen 94, and Prince Philip, 99, traditionally spend the festive season with close family at Sandringham, in Norfolk. But this year they will forgo the festivities and remain at Windsor Castle, where they have been isolating with a ‘bubble’ of staff since October.
Breathtaking: George IV’s silver-gilt Grand Service on display in the State Dining Room to mark the bicentenary of his ascension to the throne
Bright and beautiful: A twinkling Christmas tree brings festive cheer to one of the grand halls at Windsor Castle
Centrepiece: The 20-foot-high Christmas tree in St George’s Hall, the largest room in Windsor Castle, is topped with an angel
‘Tis the season! Shimmering Christmas trees in the Queen’s Gallery at Windsor Castle go on display to the public tomorrow
It is understood the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh will not take advantage of the relaxed Covid restrictions to form a Christmas bubble with other households.
It means the couple face spending Christmas Day without any of their four children for the first time since 1949, when the then Princess Elizabeth left a one-year-old Charles in the UK so she could be with Prince Philip in Malta.
Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall will spend Christmas at Highgrove, in Gloucestershire, although they expect to see the Queen and Prince Philip at Windsor at some point over the festive season. Camilla will also spend time with her family.
In Tier 2 regions, like Windsor, up to six people from different households are able to mix outdoors. This means the Queen and Prince Philip could meet with family members for horse riding or walks in the grounds of Windsor Castle.
Towering: A view from behind the 20ft Christmas tree in St George’s Hall, at Windsor Castle, today
Family day out: The wartime ‘pantomime pictures’ remain on display in the Waterloo Chamber
Deck the halls! A member of staff puts the finishing touches on the 20ft tree in St George’s Hall