King Charles’ Windsor Castle Christmas decorations revealed – and royal fans spot a hidden tribute to the Queen
WINDSOR Castle is looking even more sparkly now that its Christmas decorations have gone up.
The already-glittering royal residence in Berkshire has had a full festive makeover - which includes a hidden tribute to the late Queen.
A 20ft tree, felled from the grounds, stands tall in St George's Hall while another impressive fir has pride of place in the Crimson Drawing Room.
Wreaths and baubles have also been strung up in the Waterloo Chamber, as well as the Grand Staircase.
But dotted among the traditional red and gold ornaments are several in Her Majesty's favourite colour, purple.
The late monarch often wore the bold hue, which has become synonymous with the royal family.
READ MORE ROYAL NEWS
It is the Firm's first Christmas without the late monarch, who died in September.
Members of the family normally spend the holiday period at Sandringham, Norfolk, and will do the same this year, Buckingham Palace confirmed today.
But celebrations will reportedly be much "less formal" than usual.
Former BBC royal correspondent Jennie Bond told there will be no bowing, curtsying or watching the King's likely prerecorded TV address, making it a "less buttoned up" affair.
Most read in The Sun
Some traditions are expected to remain though, like the December 25 service at St Mary Magdalene Church before Christmas dinner.
It is not yet known exactly who will gather next month, but Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are unlikely to attend ahead of the release of his memoir Spare, it is understood.
During the pandemic, the Queen spent two consecutive Christmases at Windsor Castle - the first with the Duke of Edinburgh, separated from her wider family.
Why is purple a royal colour?
THE colour purple has had ties to royalty since the ancient world.
The Persian king Cyrus adopted a purple tunic as his royal uniform, and some Roman emperors banned citizens from wearing the hue, according to History.com.
It was a symbol of wealth and power due to its high price.
For centuries, the only way to get the dye was from a rare species of sea snail - now known as Bolinus brandaris - found in the ancient Phoenician city of Tyre in modern day Lebanon.
It took as many as 250,000 mollusks to get just one ounce of usable dye.
Clothes made using it were hugely expensive, meaning they were reserved for only the most wealthy.
Once synthetic dyes hit the market in the 1850s, the colour became more popular - but it is still widely thought of as royal.
Queen Elizabeth I was said to be such a fan that she reserved it for only her closest family members.
And the late Queen often sported purple, including for her Christmas speech in 2020.