King Charles’s official residence in Scotland, The Palace of Holyroodhouse, has unveiled its festive decorations as it gears up to welcome guests.
The Royal Collection Trust, which looks after royal palaces such as Windsor Castle and Buckingham Palace, showcased the transformation.
Two 12-foot Christmas trees and a mantle garland have been placed in the throne room, as well as other seasonal garlands being placed on the Great Stair leading to the historic State Apartments.
The royal dining room has been readied for the holiday feast, with the grand table covered in fruit and foliage.
The Palace of Holyroodhouse has been decked out for the holidays
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Visitors are able to see the festive display at the palace until January 5.
King Charles, Queen Camilla, and other members of the Royal Family will likely be unable to see the festivities as they traditionally spend Christmas at the Sandringham Estate.
The Christmas tree at Windsor Castle is set to feature “recycled” decorations as the King continues his commitment to environmental protection.
Monarchs first began celebrating Christmas at Windsor Castle in the 12th century, with the unveiling of the grand tree being a highlight of the royal calendar.
Kathryn Jones, Senior Curator of Decorative Arts at the Royal Collection Trust, has revealed that they are recycling decorations to help the environment.
She said: “The decorations are recycled and reused as much as possible.
The Royal Collection Trust put out the decorations throughout The Palace of Holyroodhouse
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“We switch decorations between the residences to provide variety, and we source recycled and recyclable tinsel made in the UK.
“There are no historic Christmas decorations in the Royal Collection; probably because they were used and replaced when worn, or they were edible – for example, sweets and nuts were often tied to the branches in the 19th century.”
She also revealed that the halls were designed as perfect frames to fit the extravagant trees.
She continued: “The state apartments at Windsor were designed as magnificent backdrops for ceremony and entertaining.
“Many of the spaces have high ceilings and plenty of gilding, which act as perfect frames for the Christmas trees.”
The Nordmann fir tree is traditionally brought in from Windsor Great Park, with a second on display in the Crimson Drawing Room”.
Windsor Castle has recycled their decorations for their trees this year
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The selection is usually made in September and the trees are installed in November,” explains Ms Jones. “By selecting the trees ourselves, we can guarantee we pick healthy ones.
“Some of the foil decorations we use on the St George’s Hall tree are 50cm or more in diameter, and many of the baubles are larger than footballs.