For many British families, selecting the perfect Christmas tree is a cherished festive ritual. However, for those hoping to purchase their tree from the popular shop adjacent to the Prince and Princess of Wales' new Windsor mansion, the experience has become a pre-Christmas nightmare this year.
Traffic Chaos and Security Measures
The Christmas Tree Shop, which opened its doors on Thursday, is situated on land neighbouring the Waleses' eight-bedroom Adelaide Cottage home. The shop, which sells trees grown on the estate, traditionally attracts hundreds of customers in the lead-up to December 25th.
This year, however, access routes have been severely limited to prevent vehicles from driving directly past the royal residence. Cars are now being diverted around a new circular route, adding more than a mile to their journey.
Traffic cones have been installed to enforce the temporary road layout, but the changes appear to have brought confusion and danger. One local resident reported, ‘I have already seen a few near misses where people have driven the wrong side of the cones.’
Security has also been visibly heightened. Two royal security officers have been stationed in the shop's car park during operating hours to deter any intruders. Another resident observed, ‘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.’
A Royal and Sustainable Christmas Initiative
While Windsor residents navigate the new travel arrangements, another unique royal Christmas offering has emerged online. Starting today, an online auction is selling 24 Christmas stockings crafted from recycled gold damask curtains that once hung in the Royal Family's Norfolk retreat, Sandringham.
The initiative has been organised by The King’s Foundation, the charity that continues King Charles's work in building sustainable communities and protecting heritage arts and crafts. The foundation benefits more than 15,000 students annually through its courses.
The precious Sandringham fabric was transported to Dumfries House in Ayrshire, Scotland, where the community sewing group, the Dumfries House Sewing Bee, transformed the cuttings. Each unique decoration required over six hours of skilled work to create.
Sarah McClymont, lead tutor for The King’s Foundation’s Future Textiles initiative, 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.’ A 25th and final stocking has been reserved as a personal gift for the King himself.
