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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Jennifer Newton

King's ex-butler shares Christmas decoration royals never use and late Queen's tradition

When your home is a palace or a castle, many of us go all out for Christmas - and that often means getting the biggest tree you can find and throwing up festive lights, wreaths and holly.

But if you want your home to look royal this Christmas, according to a former royal butler there is one decoration you should definitely avoid.

Grant Harrold, who worked for King Charles and Queen Camilla for more than seven years, said it's true the royals go all out when it comes to decorations.

But he advised: "Don't overdo it with the tinsel."

King Charles at a Christmas carol concert last week (REX/Shutterstock)

He told the Mirror: "Everybody gets the tinsel but if you go to a royal home, it is a lot more greenery, baubles and lights, not tinsel."

And to prove his point, when Camilla invited children to Clarence House earlier this month to decorate the Christmas tree - there was not a piece of tinsel in sight.

Meanwhile, Grant also said that when it came to decorating, the late Queen had a very sweet tradition that she would get her grandchildren and great-grandchildren involved in.

Camilla decorates the Christmas tree in Clarence House, which has no tinsel on it (PA)

He added: "I heard that at Sandringham, the Queen used to arrange for one of the trees in one of the rooms to be left bare for the kids to decorate it.

"It was a tradition that she started and the grandkids would come in and they would all do a bit of decorating, which I thought was always quite a nice idea."

This year will mark the first Christmas since the sad death of the late Queen three months ago and Charles' accession to the throne.

Grant say the late Queen also had a Christmas tree tradition (Getty Images)

A wider circle of royal guests are said to be attending the poignant Sandringham Christmas festivities including Camilla's children Tom and Laura - the first time they've been invited to royal Christmas.

And according to Grant Harrold, it will be a bittersweet time for the royals, with "tears shed".

He told the Mirror: "I think for them it will very emotional this year and I've no doubt there are tears that will be shed on the day or the night before because they will be remembering her.

The Queen and the late Prince Philip at Sandringham on Christmas Day in 2017 (AFP/Getty Images)

"But I'm sure as well it will be a fun time for the youngsters and it will also carry on how the Queen would have wanted it to."

When it comes to the Sandringham celebrations, under the late Queen they would always follow a set tradition.

This includes a gift exchange on Christmas Eve, attending church together on Christmas morning and tucking into a traditional Christmas lunch with all of the trimmings.

And even though it is Charles in charge now, Grant believes very little will change - although the King may forego one of his mother's traditions.

He added: "Knowing what the King is like, I think he will try to mirror everything that has been done in the past.

"But what is interesting is, I don't think he will stay there until February like the Queen used to do to mark her own father's passing. I don't see him doing that and I don't think his schedule will allow it."

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