Windsor Castle Will Host The Royal Christmas For The 2nd Time In 34 Years - The Queen Has Decorated Accordingly

Dec 24, 2021 by apost team

Queen Elizabeth II is the reigning monarch of England, and nothing has so far stopped her from carrying out all of her royal duties, no matter what circumstances were thrown her way. Despite such a difficult past year for the royal family, the queen has continued to go above and beyond to carry out all of her responsibilities and see over all of the members of the royal family. 

She went through her unfortunate share of hardships during 2021, as her longtime husband, Prince Philip, passed away, and Prince Harry and Meghan Markle made their official publicized departure from the family. With the couple's departure, Harry and Meghan's duties as active members of the royal family were forced to be redistributed to other members, with the queen making all the big decisions and having the final say.

It's safe to say that the queen has had to deal with several overwhelming emotions throughout the past few months, and it seems as if health problems are now adding to her already significant burden. While she was recently still up and about and holding strong despite needing to use a cane, the queen ended up canceling her appearance at the Remembrance Day Service at the Cenotaph. The queen also had to cancel her five-yearly visit to General Synod, the national assembly of the Church of England.

However, the queen always puts family first, and after making sure to be part of the rare royal double christening of her great-grandchildren, which took place at the Royal Lodge in Windsor on November 21, 2021, she is now hosting the family Christmas at Windsor Castle.

The public is used to seeing the queen at her very best all the time, so there has been some recent concern for her health as while she recovered from a back injury. According to the Daily Mail, the queen is healing very well and feeling much restored. Royal fans were waiting to hear about the traditional train ride the Queen usually undertakes every year at Christmas time while she travels from Windsor Castle to her Norfolk estate. Traditionally, the queen used to travel to the royal holding traditionally used for the royal family's Christmas by public train. Getting on the Sandringham train in London, she would enjoy a short ride on the public transportation system until King's Lynn, a charming small town in Norfolk, England. Once at her destination, a car would be waiting to take her to the royal estate nearby. On Christmas day, the royal family as a group would undertake what has been dubbed the "Sandringham walk" where they will leave their Norfolk estate on foot to travel to the nearby church in order to take part in Christmas mass.

This year, owing to her recent health scare as well as the ongoing pandemic situation, the train ride has not come to pass. Just like last year, the queen has opted to err on the side of caution and will remain in Windsor Castle for the holidays. Of course, this does not mean that the royal family will miss out on a festive Christmas! Instead of enjoying a richly decorated Sandringham estate, the royal family has instead opted to deck Windsor Castle out in festive ornaments and decor. An important part of that was, of course, the Christmas tree.

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The Royal Collection Trust shared a video of the tree cutting via Instagram. As their post explains, fans can "watch as a 20-foot Norwegian spruce is selected and felled by the Forestry Team in Windsor Great Park, part of the Crown Estate, before being transported to Windsor Castle, where it was decorated with hundreds of festive ornaments."

The post goes on to explain that the royal Christmas trees have come from the Great Park at Windsor since the reign of Queen Victoria in the 19th century.

While Christmas will not follow the usual procedure of most of the last 34 years, the queen is still hosting several family members for a traditional family Christmas. The Daily Mail cites a source as saying:

"The Queen has told everyone she is feeling far better of late and is very much looking forward to welcoming them for Christmas. Like many other families, this will be the first time Her Majesty can gather with her extended family after being kept apart for so long due to the coronavirus pandemic."

One concession made to the current situation is the traditional pre-Christmas lunch Queen Elizabeth usually holds for the royal family on Christmas Eve. As Reuters reports, Her Majesty has decided to forego the luncheon. A spokesperson for Buckingham Palace stated that "the decision is a precautionary one as it is felt to put too many people's Christmas arrangements at risk if it went ahead. While there is regret that it is cancelled, there is a belief it is the right thing to do for all."

While the royal family is determined to enjoy as festive a Christmas as possible, sources close to the queen have told The Mirror: "if alternative arrangements need to be made, right up to the last minute as per government advice, Her Majesty will lead from the front."

What do you think about the royal Christmas decorations? Do you have special traditions in your family for the holidays? Tell us all about it and pass this along to friends and family.