Little glimpse of the mighty Windsor Castle
Inside-out it feels more like a museum but it is a fully working Royal household.
One of the three official residences of The Queen, Windsor Castle is the oldest and largest home in continuous occupation in the world. A fortress rather than a palace - it had been established by William the Conqueror after his jarring conquer of Britain in 11th century.
The imposing towers and walls of the Castle emerge from every angle of the little market town of Windsor.
From having such a powerful resident, the town had enjoyed many privileges from the start and it continuous to be so. It had been one of the wealthiest towns in England in Middle Ages, the pilgrims to St George's Chapel were spending sums of money, like the tourists do now.
The prosperity however ended with Henry VIII Reformation technique, banning such superstitious practices, and the presence of the monarch sort of choked off the development into a larger town or city. The royals liked the terrains to stay as it is - mostly as the hunting ground.
The medieval character of Windsor was destroyed during 19th century Queen Victoria reign. She staged a massive redevelopment of the castle and the whole area.
Many parts of the Castle are open to the public; we had paid only a short visit to walk around, in August 2010.
The outer walls are in the same position as those originating in the 1070s. William the Conqueror chose the site for a fortified castle to guard the capital and the Tower of London from the west side.
For successive centuries the monarchs have had their private quarters in the Upper Ward, inaccessible for tourists and not visible from the town. What is visible is the Lower Ward (below) with St George's Chapel at its centre.
The entrance to the Lower Ward is through Henry VIII Gate (above) who is buried in St. George's Chapel. Queen Victoria's beloved husband, Prince Albert died here in 1861. He is buried in a spectacular mausoleum in the Windsor Home Park.
Windsor Castle is the focus of many Royal ceremonies, weddings and funerals. The wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle drew worldwide attention with the memorable moment of Meghan approaching the castle through Castle Hill road (below).
Visiting the castle is available whole year round but it is better to come in winter and on weekday unless you want to waste time in a long queue. The whole interior experience should take at least three hours.
Changing of the Guard is between 11:00 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. so worth to arrange the visits around this time. Beware that the Castle may close for special occasions such as state visits, so check out on the official website.
_______
Sources:
www.rct.uk/visit/windsor-castle
www.royal.uk/royal-residences-windsor-castle
www.londontoolkit.com/whattodo/windsor_castle.htm