Christmas shoppers seeking festive trees from the popular outlet adjacent to the Prince and Princess of Wales’s Windsor residence are encountering significant disruption this year.
The Christmas Tree Shop, which commenced trading on Thursday, has historically operated on grounds neighbouring the royal couple’s eight-bedroom property.
The venue sells trees cultivated on the estate and typically draws substantial crowds during the festive period.
However, enhanced security protocols have restricted vehicular access to prevent traffic passing directly by the royal home, where the family moved after leaving Adelaide Cottage.
Christmas shoppers seeking festive trees from the popular outlet adjacent to the Prince and Princess of Wales’s Windsor residence are encountering significant disruption this year.
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Motorists must now navigate a diversion extending over a mile.
Temporary traffic management using cones has created hazardous conditions, according to area residents. “I have already seen a few near misses where people have driven the wrong side of the cones,” one local observed.
Royal protection personnel have established a visible presence at the location, with two officers remaining in a vehicle throughout trading hours.
A resident noted: “A car was parked and running both days with what looked like two plain-clothes officers inside to prevent anyone going into the lodge’s grounds.
“The shop is right next door, so it is not surprising the Waleses are keeping an extra eye out in case anyone is tempted to take a peek.”
Royal protection personnel have established a visible presence at the location, with two officers remaining in a vehicle throughout trading hours.
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Meanwhile, the King’s Foundation has launched an online auction today featuring 24 unique Christmas stockings fashioned from repurposed curtains that previously adorned Sandringham.
The decorations were created from gold damask drapery sourced from the Royal Family’s Norfolk estate. A twenty-fifth stocking has been specially set aside for King Charles.
The charitable organisation, established through Charles’s efforts to promote sustainable communities and preserve traditional crafts, provides educational opportunities for over 15,000 students annually.
The historic Sandringham material was delivered to Dumfries House in Ayrshire, where members of the Dumfries House Sewing Bee collective meticulously converted the fabric into festive decorations.
The King’s Foundation has launched an online auction today featuring 24 unique Christmas stockings fashioned from repurposed curtains that previously adorned Sandringham.
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Each stocking required over six hours of craftsmanship to complete.
Sarah McClymont, who leads The King’s Foundation’s Future Textiles programme, expressed the group’s enthusiasm for the undertaking.
Ms McClymont said: “This was such an exciting project for the Sewing Bee to work on.
“Being given the opportunity to work with such historically significant fabric was a real honour for them and they are so proud of how the stockings turned out.”
She added: “We hope that whoever is lucky enough to win a stocking will pass it down as a family heirloom to be treasured for decades to come.”