This Is What Christmas Looks Like in the British Royal Palaces

The queen goes to church every year on Christmas Day, and she always gifts St. Mary Magdalene — which stands on the Sandringham estate — with a Christmas tree cut from her grounds. Other trees from the estate are given to local schools, while the pride of place in her own home is a 20-foot Norfolk spruce. Staff decorate most of the tree with ornaments including tartan ribbons and Queen Victoria's glass angels, but the queen adds a few finishing touches when she arrives, and the children are allowed to hang a few baubles on Christmas Eve.

The queen spends several weekends in Windsor Castle throughout December, and the property is dotted with 20- to 24-foot Nordmann fir trees from Windsor Great Park. There is a different theme every year, such as "Victorian" or "Regency," but no historic ornaments are used. Decorations are recycled where possible and added to by the curator of the display with purchases from Christmas markets.

In 2014, the "Waterloo bicentenary" display featured miniature Napoleons and Dukes of Wellington, golden bugles, lamé tassels, and wreaths. A cherry picker was used from the estate to put the angel on top, and 1,500 lights were used.

In the year which they celebrated Victorian Christmases, a tree was suspended from the ceiling, as it was when Queen Victoria and Prince Albert spent the festive season at the castle. It was Prince Albert who popularized having a Christmas tree as we know it in our homes. Before that, it was tradition to bring in a potted yew tree, and Queen Charlotte had hers decorated with oranges, cloves, and sugared almonds.

A tradition which the couple has stuck to for many years is inviting in a group of terminally ill children to decorate a tree in their home, followed by a little party. Camilla helps the children hang decorations, and last year served them bangers and mash herself.

Last year, it was reported that William and Kate had two trees in their Norfolk home — one that was more classic and traditional, and a smaller one for George and Charlotte that was piled with twinkle lights, glittery baubles, and tinsel. Kate's sister Pippa has said that the traditional Middleton festive decor is very mix and match, with baubles from different places, and no one set color scheme.

While Prince Harry is keeping his holiday decor under wraps, the exterior of his home is open to the public, and the front of the palace is beautifully lit up with a dozen trees sparkling with classic golden lights.

The queen's London home is where a lot of entertaining happens in the buildup to Christmas, including a white tie diplomatic reception and the pre-Christmas lunch for all her extended family. While the decorations at Sandringham are more personal, those at her London home are standard festive fare. Trees are piled with gold baubles with a complementing color that has in the past included red, blue, and cream. One year, a tree was hung with 500 ornaments decorated by celebrities and amateur embroiderers that were later auctioned for charity.

There's going to be hell to pay when someone realizes all the presents under the tree have been replaced with cushions . . .