It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas – and one of the Queen’s favourite residences is ready to put on a festive show like no other. The Christmas season at Windsor Castle is under way.
The Great Hall at the ancient castle will, as always, form the centrepiece of the Christmas celebrations at Windsor. A huge Christmas tree, around twenty feet in height, will dominate the room and provide a sparkling focal point for visitors to the royal home over the festive season.
The tree takes around 13 hours to decorate every year and is decked with thousands of lights, tinsel and hundreds of decorations. The Great Hall itself is also trimmed for the season. And although the Queen traditionally spends Christmas now at Sandringham in Norfolk, she will view the Windsor decorations before the festive season gets under way.
Visitors to Windsor Castle over the Christmas period could also get an extra dose of festive spirit. On some days in December, school choirs will entertain tourists with carols around the tree in the Great Hall. If you want to feel really Christmassy then time your visit for 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 8th, 11th or 13th December 2018. On Saturdays, there will be special craft sessions for children (included in the usual admission price) while the Castle is also putting on a Christmas show this year. Tickets for ‘The Princess and the Pantomime’ are available on its website.
As usual, December visitors to the castle also get a chance to view the Semi State Rooms at the royal residence which are only open in the winter months as well as the State Apartments and St. George’s Chapel which are accessible all year round.
The tree and decorations remain up until Twelfth Night and that’s also the cut off point if you want to enjoy the special exhibition featuring the wedding outfits of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. Meghan’s dress, tiara and veil as well as the bridesmaid and pageboy outfits worn by Princess Charlotte and Prince George will be on show next to a replica of Harry’s uniform until January 6th 2019.
And if you can’t make it to Windsor, there will be images and videos of the Christmas tree shared on the official social media of the Royal Collection Trust and the Royal Family. It really is beginning to feel very festive indeed.
Christmas at Windsor starts on December 1st 2018 and runs until January 6th 2019.
