No one does Christmas (or anything for that matter) quite like the royals. Exhibit A: the decorations they’ve put up at Buckingham Palace this year.
In a video posted to the Royal Family Instagram, Christmas is in full swing at Queen Elizabeth’s crib. There’s a half-dozen giant fir trees decorated in tiny lights and little fabric crown ornaments at the top of a staircase and lining the entryway. The royals also opted for a giant green garland wrapping around the grand staircase with multicolored glass baubles and dark-red velvet bows. All the decor is sourced from Windsor, according to the caption.
But to whom do we owe these magical trimming traditions? Well, it actually began with the royal family. According to the History Channel, we owe the popularity of decorated Christmas trees to Queen Victoria and Prince Albert (QEII’s great-great-grandparents), who gave their stamp of approval when Victoria began putting Christmas trees up at Windsor in the 1830s.
While she wasn’t the first to do it (the idea originated in the 1500s and became popular in Germany in the 1800s), the royal couple is credited with bringing the decorations to the masses, when an illustration of Victoria and Albert standing in front of an ornament-covered fir appeared in the London Illustrated News in 1848. This marked the first time the English-speaking public had seen such a picturesque tree inside a home, according to the History Channel site.
So, deck the halls, y’all. It’s a royal family tradition.
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