The 1,000-year-old history of Windsor Castle, the Queen’s final resting place

The Queen will be the eighth member of the royal family to be buried at St George’s Chapel.

Why is Windsor Castle significant to the royal family?

Windsor Castle is one of the many official residences of the royal family, located in Windsor, over 40 km west of central London. It has been a residence of the royal family since the 12th century.

Built on an area of over 13 hectares near the south bank of River Thames, the castle consists of two quadrilateral buildings, also called ‘courts’, which are separated by a circular tower.

One set of buildings, located on the western side of the tower, are collectively called the ‘lower ward’ while the others, on the eastern side, are part of the ‘upper ward’. St George’s Chapel, where the Queen will be laid to rest, is part of the ‘lower ward’.

The upper ward of the castle is where the royal family lives. The ward also has a grand reception hall, the Royal Library, Waterloo Chamber and apartments for visitors.

The castle is surrounded by parks. The largest of them, ‘Green Park’, is located south of the castle and spread across an area of over 1,800 acres. It also has a 5-km-long green avenue called the ‘Long Walk’ and an artificial lake called ‘Virginia Water’.

Only a small part of the castle is open to the public for sight-seeing and is a major tourist attraction in Britain. The rest is reserved for the royal family, their guests and employees.

Who built the castle?

The castle has been associated with British monarchs since 1086, when William the Conqueror first built it. The castle was built to protect the western front of London, to protect the city from invasion or foreign attacks.

As Windsor Castle was close to London and the Thames river, William the Conqueror’s successor Henry I constructed residential quarters inside the castle. However, it was Henry II, grandson of William the Conqueror, who converted the castle into a royal palace.

His successor Henry III added a large new chapel and improved the infrastructure of the private apartments.

Centuries later, Elizabeth I, in 1570, built a long gallery overlooking the North Terrace, which was added to the royal library during the 20th century.

The music room and a new dining room were added by George III in 1796 while his successor George IV constructed a 168-metre-long gallery, which was later called the Grand Corridor. The Waterloo Chamber, another famous part of the castle, was built in 1830 to mark the defeat of Napoleon Bonaparte in 1815.

What is the significance of St George’s Chapel?

Located in the lower ward, St George’s Chapel has been the site of many royal weddings, including that of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. The latest royal wedding in the Chapel was that of Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank in October 2018.

Constructed in 1528 during the regime of Edward IV, St George’s Chapel gives an insight into the life of the monarchs.

Henry VI, Edward IV, Henry VIII and Jane Seymour, Charles I, Edward VII, and George V were buried beneath the chapel. Another chapel, Albert Memorial, is also located in the ‘lower ward’. It was built by Henry VII and the bodies of George III, George IV and William IV were laid to rest here.

Partly damaged by the 1992 fire

On November 20, 1992, a curtain caught fire inside the private chapel of Windsor Castle, and quickly spread to other rooms. It destroyed 115 rooms, including nine state rooms, according to reports.

However, the Royal Library, containing invaluable paintings, books, artifacts and other artwork, was saved despite being close to the vicinity of the fire.

Valuable items displayed at the castle

Among the many valuable items in the castle are a portrait of King Charles I, painted by artist Anthony van Dyck, the dress Queen Elizabeth II wore for her coronation in 1953, and priceless paintings by Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Raphael, Hans Holbein the Younger and others.

The Queen’s funeral

After the completion of four days of lying-in-state, a short committal service will take place in St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle on Monday (September 19).

She will then be laid to rest next to her husband of 73 years, Prince Philip.

The Queen’s family – her father King George VI, who died in 1952, mother Queen Elizabeth, who died in 2002, and her sister Princess Margaret, who also passed away in the same year — are also buried at Windsor Castle.