The festive plans for the royal residences of King Charles have been unveiled.
Here in Edinburgh, the Palace of Holyroodhouse will be decorated with two 12-foot high Christmas trees in the Throne Room. In the great gallery, a 15-foot Nordmann fir tree will be on display, reports Cambridgeshire Live.
Other adornments include garlands, berries, winter foliage, and sugared fruits. The King’s exact plans are yet to be revealed, though the royals nearly always celebrate Christmas as Sandringham.
This year significant plans have been announced for Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle, and the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh. In an unprecedented move, it has been revealed that the Royal Mews at Buckingham Palace will transform into a Christmas pop-up shop from November 14, offering shoppers the chance to purchase products from the Royal Collection Trust.
Meanwhile, visitors to Windsor Castle will be treated to the sight of a towering 20-foot-high Nordmann fir tree, grown in Windsor Great Park, in St George’s Hall, adorned with thousands of lights and decorations. A 16-foot tree will also grace the Crimson Drawing Room, which is only open during the winter months, while special miniature decorations repurposed from vintage necklaces will embellish Queen Mary’s Dolls’ House.
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Last year, King Charles hosted his largest gathering of royals in years, which included the Prince and Princess of Wales and their three children George, Charlotte and Louis. As for this year, two royals who are expected to miss out on the celebrations once again are Prince Andrew and his ex-wife Fergie.
This follows Charles signalling that the pair will not be welcome at the traditional festivities. Sources close to Charles stated that he wanted to keep them at a distance after it recently came to light that the duchess had maintained contact with the paedophile Jeffrey Epstein after publicly denouncing him in 2011.
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Andrew was absent last Christmas after his connections to an alleged Chinese spy, Yang Tengbo, were revealed. A source told the Sunday Times: “You can’t sack someone from being your brother. But this year, if the duke and duchess were both to be as honourable [as last year], it would be very much for the best.”
The decision is backed by the Prince of Wales, who is understood to be frustrated and worried about the Yorks’ behaviour posing a long-term reputational risk to the royals. The King has also made it clear that he would prefer an “out of sight, out of mind” approach for any future family occasions that the Yorks attend.