Surprising Christmas decoration that royals would never pop on their tree

24 December 2023 , 11:30

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There's one Christmas decoration the royals never use (Image: PA)

Each year the decorations that fill the royal residences are second to none, with elaborate and lavish festive adornments and impressively sized trees taking centre stage in the palaces.

Using trees as the centrepiece for Christmas decorations was introduced to the country by Queen Charlotte and later popularised by Prince Albert and Queen Victoria - now Christmas trees are ubiquitous with the festive season across the country.

There is one decoration that's hugely popular to be used on Christmas trees in households throughout the UK, however, it's not one that the royals would ever use themselves to decorate their tree.

The one decoration that the royals avoid is none other than tinsel - a Christmas decoration staple for many people. A former royal butler - Grant Harrold - who worked for King Charles at Highgrove for seven years, previously revealed to The Mirror that this is a decoration the royals tend to avoid.

"They don't overdo it with the tinsel. Everybody gets the tinsel but if you go to a royal home, it is a lot more greenery, baubles and lights, not tinsel," he explained, adding that there is an abundance of fairy lights, holly and wreaths used instead - something that can also be seen in photographs of the family's trees released to the public.

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During the late Queen's reign, it was understood that while staff prepared most of the Christmas tree, she would put the finishing touches on it alongside her family. Traditionally, the royals spend Christmas itself at the Sandringham Estate in Norfolk, but the official palaces are also decorated for the festive season and filled with the Christmas spirit.

"I heard that at Sandringham, the Queen used to arrange for one of the trees in one of the rooms to be left bare for the kids to decorate it," Harrold said, although he never attended the festivities at Sandringham himself.

"It was a tradition that she started and the grandkids would come in and they would all do a bit of decorating, which I thought was always quite a nice idea."

Buckingham Palace generally features three trees in the Marble Hall along with a lavish garland on the grand staircase - according to the official website of the Royal Family, while Windsor Castle an impressive display centred around a 25 ft tall tree in St. George's Hall that is cut down from Windsor Great Park itself - per the Royal Collection Trust.

This is available for the public to visit throughout most of December until 1 January, and the state apartments are also decorated for the festive season, which is well worth a visit for any royal fans.

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Emma Mackenzie