Victorian Christmas Trees

The Royal Family at Windsor Castle in the Illustrated London News, in1848

Christmas was a special time for Queen Victoria and her family. A decorated Christmas tree was a custom introduced by Queen Charlotte, King George III´s German wife.although it was a yew tree rather than a fir that was used. The Christmas tree was popularised by Queen Victoria and Prince Albert in the nineteenth century, with images of their family gathering around the Christmas tree being published in the Illustrated London News in 1848.

Queen Victoria and her family followed the German tradition of exchanging gifts on Christmas Eve, rather than on Christmas Day. This is a tradition that The Queen and other members of the Royal Family continue to observe today. 

William Corden the Younger (1819-1900) Queen Victoria´s Christmas tree at Windsor Castle in 1850

Other members of the Royal Family had their own Christmas trees and tables, and this watercolour shows those of Queen Victoria’s children and her mother, the Duchess of Kent. 

Albert Chevallier Tayler (1862-1925)The Christmas Tree