Dolls, parks and drawings: curiosities about the Windsor Castle loved by Elizabeth II

Even before the place of his burial, next to the tomb of the beloved Prince Philip, the windsor castle it was one of the most loved places by the queen Elizabeth II in its 70 years of sovereignty

Greetings from the royal family to Elizabeth II

The English royal residence, which stands on a ridge at the northeastern end of the boroughs of Windsor and Maidenhead, is the oldest inhabited castle and extended to the world. The fortress is spread over 5 hectares of land above the southern bank of the tamigi River and the queen used to spend weekends, Easter and the Royal Ascot event there

All symbols on Elizabeth II’s coffin

The construction of the castle, on the orders of William the Conqueror, began around 1070 and was completed after 16 years. The castle was originally designed to protect the western entrance to London. The easy access from the capital and the proximity to a hunting forest made it an ideal location for a royal residence

In 1110 Henry I already had domestic housing inside the castle, but it was his nephew Henry II who converted the castle into a palace in the late 12th century, creating two separate groups of apartments royals within the fortified enclosure: a public or official state residence in the Lower Ward and a private residence on the north side of the Upper Ward for its sole occupation

In the’Upper Ward of the castle are the private apartments of the monarch and private apartments for visitors. The state apartments in the Upper Ward include the Waterloo Chamber, the St. George’s Hall and the large reception hall.

In the upper ward there is also the royal libraryinside which you can see an important collection of drawings by Leonardo da VinciRaphael, Hans Holbein the Younger and others

Next to the castle is located Home Parka park of about 200 hectares that houses Frogmore, the site of the mausoleum of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. Also near the castle is the Great Park

One of the most visited rooms is the dollhouse of Queen Mary, the construction of which the British architect Sir Edwin Lutyens worked for three years, from 1921 to 1924. It is in all likelihood the most famous dollhouse in the world, an almost perfect 1:12 scale replica of an aristocratic house from the 1920s

Inside are located a library full of period books, a well-stocked cellar and a garden created by Gertrude Jekyll. It also has electricity, hot and cold running water, and working elevators

Also at Windsor Castle, as well as a Buckingham Palacethe famous happens changing of the guard. The ceremony takes place from Monday to Saturday at 11am (April to July) and on alternate days for the remaining months.

Queen Elizabeth’s funeral, images of the procession and ceremony