Christmas with Queen Camilla! Royal Opens London Home to Kids for Tree Trimming with Santa

Camilla, the Queen Consort and Isaac Wood, four, with Blixen the reindeer, as children supported by Helen and Douglas House and Roald Dahl's Marvellous Children's Charity, decorate the Christmas tree at Clarence House in London
Camilla, the Queen Consort and Isaac Wood, four, with Blixen the reindeer, as children supported by Helen and Douglas House and Roald Dahl's Marvellous Children's Charity, decorate the Christmas tree at Clarence House in London

Paul Grover/AP/Shutterstock Queen Camilla

It's Christmas at Clarence House — and Queen Camilla got some special help with decorating!

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

The party was part of a holiday event that Queen Camilla throws 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 youngsters helped by Roald Dahl's Marvelous Children's Charity. She is a patron of both organizations.

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The children were also thrilled to get a performance by the Band of the Welsh Guards — and a special surprise visit from Father Christmas and his reindeer.

Camilla, the Queen Consort with Blixen the reindeer, as children supported by Helen and Douglas House and Roald Dahl's Marvellous Children's Charity, decorate the Christmas tree at Clarence House in London
Camilla, the Queen Consort with Blixen the reindeer, as children supported by Helen and Douglas House and Roald Dahl's Marvellous Children's Charity, decorate the Christmas tree at Clarence House in London

Paul Grover/AP/Shutterstock Queen Camilla

Queen Camilla took her role as host of the event seriously, walking around to greet everyone asking "Everybody's got everything?" and "Are you enjoying yourselves?"

Mother Kieri Dainty from Oxfordshire, who was a guest at the party along with her 8-year-old daughter Gwendolyn, described the day as "amazing." "It's lovely that she's still doing all the charity work," she said of Camilla. "What was important before is still important now."

"It's always a treat for me to start Christmases here — it literally kicks it off for us," the Queen Consort said in a speech."

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

"Continuing her annual tradition, The Queen Consort has invited children from @helenanddouglashouse and @roalddahlcharity to decorate the Christmas tree at Clarence House," Camilla's office captioned a video on the royal family's official Instagram page. "Having enjoyed a delicious lunch of sausage and mash, the children were entertained by the Band of the Welsh Guards…and not forgetting a surprise appearance from Father Christmas and his reindeer Dancer and Blitzen!"

"To come here in the first few months of her being Queen, it just shows how she values her patronage to us and she cares about the children and the families who use the services," Clare Periton, chief executive of Helen & Douglas House, said. "It's a place where the families will make memories that they will never forget, and the children are treated like princesses and princes and it's just such a special time. Everyone is accepted no matter what their disability is or what their condition is or what their abilities are. I think for families as well, it's an opportunity that is invaluable."

The Queen Consort Invites Children To Decorate The Clarence House Christmas Tree
The Queen Consort Invites Children To Decorate The Clarence House Christmas Tree

Paul Grover - WPA Pool/Getty Images Queen Camilla

Last month, Queen Camilla helped host a different kind of party — for children at a nursery which received some of the thousands of Paddington and other teddy bears that were left in tribute to Queen Elizabeth in September.

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The Queen Consort was also revealed as the new cover star of Good Housekeeping's U.K. edition. Camilla smiled in a red coat dress adorned with a ballerina brooch before a sparkling fir for the cover of the Christmas and New Year's issue, available for sale on Wednesday.

The lifestyle magazine's latest issue is especially regal. According to a statement shared by publisher Hearst, Queen Elizabeth II granted her blessing for Good Housekeeping to produce a special issue "championing royal women and, crucially, raising awareness around important social causes" for the publication's 100th anniversary this year and in connection with her Platinum Jubilee.

The Queen Consort Invites Children To Decorate The Clarence House Christmas Tree
The Queen Consort Invites Children To Decorate The Clarence House Christmas Tree

Paul Grover - WPA Pool/Getty Images Queen Camilla

The issue also includes exclusive interviews with Kate MiddletonPrincess AnneSophie, Countess of Wessex, Princess Alexandra (Queen Elizabeth's first cousin) and Birgitte, Duchess of Gloucester (the wife of Prince Richard, who is also first cousins with Queen Elizabeth). The royals are expected to address "their own selected causes spanning dementia, carers, child safety and missing people," Hearst said.