Christmas with Queen Camilla! Royal family opens London home for children to decorate tree with Santa Claus

Paul Grover/AP/Shutterstock Queen Camilla

It’s Christmas at Clarence House – and Queen Camilla got special help decorating!

Camilla, 75, opened the doors of the London home she shares with King Charles to welcome children from two charities she supports. It's an annual tradition at the home, but it's the first time Camilla has done so as royal. It came the morning after she and Charles welcomed the diplomatic community to another celebratory occasion at Buckingham Palace, a white-tie and tiaras reception.

The party was part of a holiday event hosted by Queen Camilla for Helen & Douglas House, the world's first children's hospice in Oxfordshire, which provides medical, emotional and practical support for seriously ill children and their families, as well as young people being helped Roald Dahl's wonderful children's charityShe is patron of both organizations.

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The children also enjoyed a performance by the Welsh Guards band and a special surprise visit from Santa Claus and his reindeer.

Paul Grover/AP/Shutterstock Queen Camilla

Queen Camilla took her role as host of the event seriously and went around to greet everyone, asking, “Is everyone happy?” and “Did you enjoy it?”

Mother Kieri Dainty, from Oxfordshire, who attended the party with her 8-year-old daughter Gwendolyn, described the day as “wonderful”. “It's lovely that she's still doing all the charity work,” she said of Camilla. “What was important in the past is still important today.”

“It is always a joy for me to start Christmas here – it literally marks the beginning for us,” the Queen said in a speech.

It is the sixth time Camilla has hosted the party. She started it when she was Duchess of Cornwall. In other years, a pair of reindeer brought smiles to the faces of children attending the event. Even during the coronavirus pandemic, the Queen continued the Christmas decorating event by holding it virtually.

“The Queen is continuing her annual tradition and has invited children from @helenanddouglashouse and @roalddahlcharity to decorate the Christmas tree at Clarence House,” a video from Camilla's office on the royal family's official Instagram page said. “After enjoying a delicious lunch of sausages and mash, the children were entertained by the band of the Welsh Guards… and not forgetting a surprise appearance by Santa Claus and his reindeer Dancer and Blitzen!”

“For her to come here in the first few months of her reign as Queen shows how much she values ​​her patronage of us and how much she cares about the children and families who use the services,” said Clare Periton, chief executive of Helen & Douglas House. “It's a place where the families make memories they'll never forget and the children are treated like princesses and princes and it's just a really special time. Everyone is accepted, regardless of their disability, condition or ability. I think it's an invaluable opportunity for families too.”

Paul Grover – WPA Pool/Getty Images Queen Camilla

Last month, Queen Camilla hosted a party of a different kind – for children at a nursery school who received some of the thousands of Paddington and other teddy bears left in September as a tribute to Queen Elizabeth.

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The Queen was also named as the new cover star of Good housekeeping British edition. Camilla smiled in a red coat dress, adorned with a ballerina brooch, in front of a glittering fir tree on the cover of the Christmas and New Year edition, which goes on sale on Wednesday.

The latest edition of the lifestyle magazine is particularly royal. According to a statement from the publisher Hearst, Queen Elizabeth II gave her blessing for Good housekeeping to mark the publication’s 100th anniversary this year and in conjunction with its platinum anniversary, a special edition will be released “to promote women in the royal family and, crucially, to raise awareness of important social issues”.

Paul Grover – WPA Pool/Getty Images Queen Camilla

The issue also includes exclusive interviews with Kate Middleton, Princess Anne, Sophie, Countess of Wessex, Princess Alexandra (Queen Elizabeth's cousin) and Birgitte, Duchess of Gloucester (the wife of Prince Richard, who is also Queen Elizabeth's cousin). The royals are expected to address “their own selected concerns, ranging from dementia, care, child safety to missing persons,” Hearst said.