Meet the Christmas Exhibition Team at Windsor Castle

Hello! Please introduce yourself:

My name is Hannah, and I work in the Exhibitions and Display team at Royal Collection Trust. The Trust manages the public opening of the three official residences of The King (Buckingham Palace, Palace of Holyroodhouse and Windsor Castle), along with two art galleries (The King’s Galleries at Buckingham Palace and at the Palace of Holyroodhouse). It’s also the custodian of the Royal Collection, which is comprised of over one million objects, including paintings, arms and armour, furniture, drawings, books and manuscripts. It’s an astonishing collection, and I’m so lucky that I get to develop ways to share it with the public.

Tell us a little more about what you do on the Great West Way:

As part of my role, I plan and manage all sorts of experiences for our visitors at all our sites, including Windsor Castle. We might put on a special display or update one of our spectacular cabinets of art. Highlights of objects on display in the historic State Apartments include Henry VIII’s armour and paintings by Holbein, Rubens and Van Dyck.

Beyond that, there’s one moment every year that fills me with joy: decorating Windsor Castle for Christmas! For the past ten years I’ve been part of the team responsible for transforming this iconic royal residence for the festive period and there’s nothing quite like it.

What do you love most about your job?

It’s a real privilege to be able to work in a place as magnificent and historic as Windsor Castle. What makes my role particularly special is being part of the team that enhances the visitor experience – helping as many people as possible to enjoy the Royal Collection in a truly memorable way.  

Decorating the Castle for Christmas brings its own special joy. The magic of seeing a twenty-foot tree in St George’s Hall, adorned with an array of baubles, swags and fairy lights seems to delight everyone.

What’s a typical day like for you?

I don’t really have such a thing as a typical day. Take our Christmas display as an example, we actually start planning in February, with meetings across various teams to reflect on what worked well the previous year and what we’d like to improve. Much of the planning happens at our desks, working through ideas and logistics, but we also collaborate with specialist contractors and florists who bring us samples of baubles and ribbons to help shape the look of our trees and wreaths.

Sustainability is a big focus for us. We keep a detailed inventory of decorations and do a stock take every year so we can reuse as much as possible. You might notice that we don’t use glitter on any of our decorations – that’s a conscious choice to reduce microplastics. A lot of the creative work involves revisiting older decorations and thinking about how we can repurpose or rearrange them to create a fresh-looking display without buying everything new. I’d estimate that around 80% of our Christmas display is imaginatively reused from previous years.

Then comes the installation phase, which means we get to be on site decorating the Castle. These days are perhaps the most fun – there’s something special about the moment a fresh Christmas tree arrives in the State Apartments and fills the room with its scent, and when the fairy lights are all switched on for the first time and fill the rooms with a twinkling glow. Every decoration is carefully considered and painstakingly positioned. At that point, it’s very easy to get into the festive spirit!

Do you work with a wider team? If so, tell us a bit about them:

Absolutely – we’re very collaborative. The Exhibitions and Display team is five people, including three project managers who oversee our displays. But we also work closely with many other teams across Royal Collection Trust and the wider Royal Household.

Our curators might help us create a spectacular silver-gilt display to evoke an historic Christmas feast, while our Visitor Services team ensures everything we do enhances the visitor experience and doesn’t cause any practical hiccups. Our Press and Marketing team help to make sure potential visitors know what they can see during their visit, and the Household gardeners help bring in the Christmas tree. They later dispose of any greenery sustainably, usually by reusing the chipped trees in the gardens.

We also collaborate with a talented group of florists who handle the creative side of our decorations. They source materials, work with us to develop the overall look, and then bring in a team to install everything. Putting over 10,000 fairy lights on a very tall tree takes skill and experience – but they make it look effortless!

What do you find inspiring day-to-day? What keeps the enthusiasm going?

It’s impossible not to be inspired when your surrounded by so much history and so many incredible art. When we exhibit objects from the Royal Collection, we are also responsible for making sure no harm comes to those items, and so we work closely with conservators in the run-up to any display. This process often gives us the chance to see these remarkable pieces up close – whether it’s a centuries-old painting, or a beautifully crafted piece of silver – which is always an immense privilege.

Windsor Castle has played a central role in British history, and it’s very special to be part of that ongoing story. What keeps my enthusiasm going is knowing that we’re helping visitors not just witness that history but feel connected to it too. Seeing people engage with the displays, ask questions, and leave having learnt something – that’s what makes every day rewarding.

Any interesting or funny anecdotes related to your role or your experiences with visitors that you can share?

One thing that always makes me smile is when visitors assume the art on display isn’t the real thing. I get genuine pleasure from saying, “Yes, it really is – that’s the tiara Queen Elizabeth II wore, and that really is a Holbein painting!”

Another little-known fact is that all the real trees we use for our Christmas displays come from the Windsor Estate. Each September, our team heads out to Windsor Great Park with one of the foresters, who helps us select the perfect trees for each space. It’s a wonderful experience – we are taken all over the park, and shown the best specimens and the new saplings for future Christmases.

Do you have any insider tips or advice for travellers who want to experience the touring route ‘like a local’?

I would recommend visiting at lunch time, or in the early afternoon to avoid the crowds which usually start in the morning, when the Castle first opens. Also check our website to find out what events are on, whether it’s a special display or family activities, they make you experience the Castle in a special way. Lastly, make sure you convert your ticket into a 1-Year Pass – it’s free and allows you to come back as many times as you like, so you can visit the Castle in all the seasons.

What’s your favourite thing to eat or drink along the touring route (can be a meal, a local delicacy or a favourite tipple)? Any cafes, restaurants or pubs you can recommend?

When Windsor Castle is open to the public, I usually go to the Undercroft Café for some cake, it is one of the oldest spaces in the Castle. If it’s on a day when the Castle is closed, I often stop by the Cinnamon Café for a hot drink, on my way from Windsor & Eton Central station.

Make sure you visit Windsor Castle between 27 November 2025 and 5 January 2026 to see this year’s Christmas decorations!