State Apartments at Windsor Castle are transformed for Christmas

Home Top

American mother gunned down in Mali massacre: Aid worker is named as first victim after terrorists slaughtered 27 at hotel favored by Westerners leaving bodies piled up in gore-spattered corridors
EXCLUSIVE - The extreme lengths five young Syrian men went to in bid to enter the US amid ISIS fears: Greek passports forged in Brazil, hopping from country to country and not checking luggage to avoid scrutiny
How $700-a-month ISIS video producers dictate the terrorist group's every action and receive better treatment (any better salaries) than any of their peers
Chris Christie in mystery security scare: His plane returns to the gate, passengers are searched and one man is taken off the flight after 'threatening' the New Jersey governor
Fingerprints now reveal that TWO of the Paris suicide bombers had entered Europe through Greece a month before the attacks
Pro-refugee protests are staged across US amid outrage at Trump for agreeing with 'Nazi-like' plan to make Muslims register
Obama says Mali attack 'stiffens our resolve' as he condemns atrocity and meets refugees on the latest leg of his Asian tour
'We didn't know how close we were to being killed': Revealed, the friends who survived Paris massacre because jihadi's AK-47 ran out of bullets in Mail's incredible video
UN Security Council approves 'all necessary measures' to fight the 'global and unprecedented threat' of ISIS in wake of Paris attacks
'Cowgirl' cousin did NOT blow herself up... but died when third ISIS terrorist detonated suicide vest standing next to her in Paris siege apartment, police reveal
Shadow of a bloody past: For centuries, Islam and Christianity were locked in a brutal conflict most have forgotten. The horror, a top historian argues, is that for jihadis it's as real today as it was in the Middle Ages
Jihadi suspect arrested in Sweden after crossing Arctic Circle on a BICYCLE to sneak into Europe via the backdoor
Thousands of Canadians line the streets to pay tribute to ex-soldier who joined Kurdish militia and died fighting ISIS
'Christmas is a charade': Pope says atrocities such as Paris massacre have made festivities meaningless in a world which has chosen 'war and hate'
'We shouldn't be scared - we are still going out': Defiant Parisians pack the streets of the French capital to honour of those killed exactly one week ago
'This is for Paris': Russian pilots write messages of support for terror victims on their bombs before launching latest air raids and cruise missile strikes against ISIS
Air France plane traveling from Paris to San Francisco performs mystery u-turn over the English Channel and lands back at Charles de Gaulle airport
Flagship Manhattan Apple Store brought to a standstill as man in a mask terrorizes customers with a Samurai sword
CCTV shows massacre mastermind jump barriers and use Metro without a ticket as terror reigned across Paris
Brother of Paris mastermind was arrested in Morocco last month after arriving in his father's hometown and has been held in custody ever since
Newlywed couple let seven frightened strangers fleeing from the Paris terror attacks join them in their honeymoon suite for the night
The puppy who will grow up to be France's next Diesel: Little Dobrynia is donated by Russia as a sign of solidarity to replace hero canine killed by suicide jihadi
Mark Zuckerberg will take two months of paternity leave - six weeks MORE time off than Marissa Mayer took after birth and two months less than he offers his employees
Horrific details emerge in trial of student who 'raped and murdered his teacher' as the jury is shown the stick he 'used to assault her'

Regency-themed display will show how George IV celebrated Christmas at the castle in the early-19th century
A 16 metre-long table will be laid with pieces from the spectacular Grand Service in the Waterloo Chamber
Octagon Dining Room will be decorated with yew which was the traditional Christmas tree in Regency times
Nordmann Fir Christmas trees will go on display in St George’s Hall and the Crimson Drawing Room

Published: 12:08 EST, 20 November 2015 | Updated: 15:14 EST, 20 November 2015

View
comments

History fans looking to step back in time will be treated to a taste of Christmas in Regency times at Windsor Castle this year

Visitors to the castle will see the State Apartments kitted out with a Regency-themed display to give visitors a taste of how the Prince Regent, the future George IV, celebrated the festive season during the early 19th century.

Festive decorations, glittering Christmas trees and spectacular dining tables laid for royal feasts will give the castle, where monarchs have celebrated Christmas since the 12th century, a touch of festive magic.

A decorated Christmas tree stands in the Crimson drawing room, as part of Windsor Castle's Christmas display. The State Apartments will be transformed with a festive Regency-themed display to show how the Prince Regent (the future George IV) celebrated Christmas at the Castle in the early-19th century

The star of the show is a 24 foot high Nordmann Fir Christmas trees standing proudly in St George's Hall, adorned with gold stars, silver bugles, glistening baubles and metallic fir cones

A close up of the Christmas tree in St George's Hall shows a decoration of a soldier clad in a red and gold Regency military uniform

The Waterloo Chamber will feature a 16 metre-long table laid with pieces from the spectacular Grand Service.

It comprises of around 4,000 pieces of silver-gilt and was commissioned by George IV from the royal goldsmiths Rundell, Bridge & Rundell.

The service is still used today by the Queen and her guests at state banquets in the Waterloo Chamber, which was commissioned by George IV to celebrate the Allied victory at the Battle of Waterloo.

He's also known for filling the rooms with outstanding works of art and giving the castle its famous skyline.

A decorated yew tree stands in the Octagon dining room. George's IV's mother Queen Charlotte once decorated her home with yew, which used to be the traditional Christmas tree before fir trees were popularised by Prince Albert in the mid-19th century

George's IV's mother Queen Charlotte once decorated her home with yew, which used to be the traditional Christmas tree before fir trees were popularised by Prince Albert in the mid-19th century.

A memoir of Queen Charlotte, published in 1819, recalls how ‘in the middle of the room stood an immense tub with a yew-tree placed in it.'

It details how the branches were adorned with: 'bunches of sweetmeats, almonds, and raisins, fruits and toys, most tastefully arranged, and the whole illuminated by small wax candles’.

A decorated dining table laid with silver gilt from the George IV Grand service, in the State dining room. The Grand Service is still used today at state banquets by the Queen and her guests

The setting shows the table laid for a dessert course with a selection of glacé fruits, served on dishes from the George IV Grand service

A decorated dining table laid with silver gilt from the George the IV Grand service, in the State dining room, as part of Windsor Castle's Christmas display

As a result, the Octagon Dining Room will be decorated with yew to evoke a sense of how she would have decked out the castle for Christmas.

St George’s Hall and the Crimson Drawing Room will feature the more traditional Nordmann Fir Christmas trees, adorned with decorations.

A table display of porcelain will be seen in the State Dining Room, where the table will be set for a dessert course with glacé fruits, to add to the festive spectacle.

The Lantern Lobby is festooned with Christmas garlands around the balcony

Visitors to the royal residence will see the State Apartments transformed with festive decorations, glittering Christmas trees, and spectacular dining tables laid for royal feasts.