Duchess Camilla uses a sword at Christmas tree trimming party for children

Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, went full-on royal during a Christmas tree trimming party she hosted in London this week.

The Duchess invited children to her and Prince Charles's Clarence House to help decorate the Christmas tree. Pictures from the annual tree-trimming party showed the 74-year-old smiling as children carefully used a sword to slide the ornaments onto the tree branches.

The children had some help from Captian Ed Andresen of the Welsh Guards as they hung the decorations. One of the pictures showed Camilla helping a young boy in trying on the guard's famous bearskin cap.

The British royal throws the annual event for the children of two off her patronages- Helen & Douglas House and Roald Dahl's Marvelous Children's Charity. Helen & Douglas House is the world's first children's hospice in Oxfordshire which provides medical, emotional and practical support for seriously ill children and their families, and Roald Dahl's Marvelous Children's Charity also provides specialist nurses and support for seriously ill children.

Apart from the sword, the young guests at this year's gathering had another special surprise waiting for them. They received a performance by the Band of the Welsh Guards and a festive video message from English actor and comedian Mr. Tumble. Previously, in 2018, the Duchess had brought in a pair of reindeers to entertain the children.

The children could not be invited to Clarence House last year due to the coronavirus pandemic, but the Duchess entertained them by holding the party virtually. "We have to make the best of it," she said as she shared her Christmas decorations with the children online.

Camilla, along with her husband Prince Charles, will soon be visiting the Sandringham estate in Norfolk to spend the Christmas holiday with Queen Elizabeth II and the rest of the British royal family. Last year's festivities were cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic, but the British monarch is intent on going on with this year's celebration despite rising cases of the Omicron variant.

The family members usually arrive at Sandringham in the early afternoon on Christmas Eve, and exchange gag gifts. On Christmas Day, they walk together to St Mary Magdalene church before returning to a feast of turkey and other festivities.