Christmas royally: Elizabeth II's castle was decorated for the holiday

Many of us are dragging our feet with decorating the house for the holidays, but the staff of the Elizabeth II house in Berkshire has already prepared for Christmas. In the St. George's Hall of Windsor Castle, a magnificent six-meter Nordman fir, cut down in the Great Windsor Park, was put up, and the dining room was decorated with antique silver-plated cutlery.

Source: Daily Mail

This year, gold colors were chosen for the festive decoration. Shiny pine cones and stars were placed on the fir branches, and a traditional angel was placed on the top.

This set of dishes for special occasions was ordered by George IV, a gourmet and philanthropist who ruled Great Britain since 1820. Now it serves treats during a state banquet.

The set includes more than 4,000 appliances in different styles: artfully made dessert stands, candelabra, ice buckets, as well as simpler items like trays and poached eggs.

Other decorations of the castle include huge red velvet bows and flickering lighting.

Windsor Castle, where British monarchs have been celebrating Christmas since the 12th century, is richly decorated every year. In 2016, an oriental theme was chosen for this, and Chinese lanterns were hung on the Christmas tree.

George IV's mother, Queen Charlotte, decorated the house with a yew tree — this tree used to be traditional for Christmas. Spruce as a symbol of the holiday was introduced into use only by Prince Albert in the XIX century.

The Queen's Christmas Speech in 2016

The Queen is expected to live at Windsor Castle throughout December, but she will spend Christmas outside of it — at Sandringham Palace.

The royal family at Christmas eats festive crackers made to order for them by Dorset. Everyone, except the Queen, puts on paper hats and plays cards and board games. On Christmas Eve, men wear suits for lunch, and women wear elegant silk dresses. For dinner, everyone changes into tuxedos and luxurious outfits, women wear expensive jewelry and tiaras. Christmas morning is the time for a traditional trip to church. Women come down to breakfast in casual dresses or business suits with pearl jewelry, and men put on warm coats for a walk.