Queen Elizabeth II is getting into the holiday spirit! For the first time in 33 years, she has decorated Windsor Castle just in time for Christmas.
The royal residence is decked out in festive garland and gold-colored candles, but the star of the show is her exquisite Christmas tree. On Wednesday, December 2, the Royal Collection Trust posted a video to Instagram of the 20-foot Norwegian spruce being selected from Windsor Great Park and getting transported to Windsor Castle.
According to the organization, it is believed that Christmas trees have been picked from the Windsor Great Park for Windsor Castle since Queen Victoria’s reign, which lasted from 1837 to 1901.
Former royal chef Darren McGrady previously shared how the monarch, 94, prefers to decorate around the holidays. “The Queen is not lavish, so the décor is minimal,” McGrady, 58, told Good Housekeeping in 2016. “The royal family has a large Christmas tree and a large silver artificial tree in the dining room, which is about 30 years old.”
Visitors are permitted to see the newly-decorated residence in-person now through January 4. Tickets can be purchased through the Royal Collection Trust’s website.
Earlier this week, a Buckingham Palace spokesperson confirmed that the queen and her husband, Prince Philip, are breaking from their tradition of spending Christmas at Sandringham House in Norfolk, England. The change-up marks the first time she has stayed at Windsor Castle for Christmas since 1987.
“Having considered all the appropriate advice, The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh have decided that this year they will spend Christmas quietly in Windsor,” a statement read on Tuesday, December 1.
The royal couple have been quarantined together at Windsor Castle since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, which has surpassed more than 1.6 million cases and caused over 60,000 deaths in the U.K. England was placed on another lockdown in early November, but the four-week period concluded on Wednesday.
In the past, the queen has also celebrated Christmas with other royal family members at Buckingham Palace, but that tradition has also been canceled due to the outbreak. Despite her adjusted plans amid the pandemic, the queen’s annual address has been pre-recorded and is set to broadcast as per usual.
