History And Highlights: An Exclusive Visit To Windsor castle

I had the great privilege recently to be invited to have a look around Windsor Castle on a day that it was shut to the public.

It was incredible to be able to soak up the atmosphere of the oldest inhabited castle in the world. It is naturally packed with history, artefacts and wonderful architecture, both historic and modern, keeping the castle up to date as a working royal palace.

The castle Through The Ages

Windsor Castle was constructed in around 1070 on the orders of William the Conqueror, as a fortification to guard a crossing over the river and act as a base from which to suppress revolt in the Thames Valley

Henry II converted the castle into a splendid royal palace in the late 12th century, constructing two sets of royal apartments. Since then it has been home to 40 monarchs. Henry II also replaced the wooden walls with stone and had the Round tower constructed where the Norman keep once stood.

In the mid 14th century Edward III spent huge sums again to convert the building further from a military fortification into a gothic palace. An inner gatehouse with cylindrical towers was added and royal apartments on the North side of the Quadrangle. 

Remodelled and Restored

Charles II remodelled the castle from the 1670s, directed by architect Hugh May, giving it grand baroque interiors and creating the Long Walk.

George III gave some of the rooms a neo-classical dressing and then in 1796 appointed James Wyatt to transform the exterior of the palace. He added more gothic elements and a new ‘Grand Stair’, although not the current Grand Stair.

George IV continued this work, employing architect Jeffry Wyatville to give the castle a more impressive appearance by raising the height of the Round Tower, adding towers, battlements and cladding it in the masonry that we see today. He also extensively remodelled many of the interiors, including St George’s Hall. 

On 20th November 1992, Queen Elizabeth II’s ‘annus horribilis’, a fire broke out in what had been Queen Victoria’s private chapel. The ceilings of St George’s Hall and the Grand Reception Room were destroyed. The private chapel, the State Dining Room and the Crimson Drawing Room were all gutted. A huge restoration project was carried out and completed in 1997. 

State Visits

Windsor Castle is still, as I mentioned, a Royal residence, but is often used for ceremonies, investitures, banquets and State Visits, such as Emmanuel Macron in July 2025 and Donald Trump in September 2025. In December 2025 the German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier will be arriving for a State Visit.

Guests approach the castle via the Long Walk and enter the Quadrangle through the George IV gate. They will then, with the monarch, inspect a Guard of Honour. The Quadrangle was largely established in the 14th century but gained its current form in the early 19th century.

A banquet is then laid on in the evening in St George’s Hall.

Let’s have a look inside St George’s Hall and some of the other incredible rooms I saw on my visit. There was not time to look at every room or visit St George’s Chapel this time around, but I will make sure to in the future and write it up in a future blog post.

St George’s Hall

The magnificent St George’s Hall was originally constructed from 1353-4, as a medieval banqueting hall. It did have an English oak hammerbeam roof, but the hall was initally smaller than we see it today. It has had a rather turbulent history and been remodelled and rebuilt, on a number of occasions.

In the 1670s, under Charles II the hall was rebuilt, along with the Royal Chapel alongside it. They were both given spectacular Baroque interiors with Grinling Gibbons woodcarvings and paintings by Antonio Verrio. The hall was then rebuilt again during George IV’s changes to the castle and the private chapel and hall merged to create the impressive space we see today. George IV wanted the hall to act as an appropriately grand setting for the annual Garter Feast, which takes places after the Garter Day Service and Procession.

Around the hall today are various statues and coats of arms of those who have received the Order of the Garter.

The Order of the Garter is the oldest and most senior order of chivalry in Britain, founded by Edward III in 1348. The order consists of the monarch, several senior members of the Royal Family and then just 24 other members. 

St George’s Hall was very badly damaged in the 1992 fire and the roof had to be entirely replaced.

The hall was rebuilt as a late 20th century interpretation of the medieval tradition. The roof was replaced with sustainable green oak, using traditional methods and tools. Prince Philip chaired the Restoration Committee and Donald Insall Architects led the project. 

Coats of Arms

The blank shields on the ceiling are those who have been expelled from the order. They are arranged in chronological order and there are lots of blanks clustered around the turbulent and bloody 16th and 17th centuries.

Below is the Coat of Arms of Lady Mary Elizabeth Peters, who was made a Lady Companion of the Order of the Garter in 2019. She is a Northern Irish former professional Olympic athlete, therefore has incorporated the Olympic rings into her coat of arms.

Below is the coat of arms of ex Prime Minister Sir John Major, who has a love of politics but also cricket. He has therefore combined the portcullis, the symbol of Parliament, with cricket balls and a wicket.

You can see a timelapse here of the table being set up for a State Banquet in St George’s Hall. You can also see here a video all about the preparation that goes into a State Visit.

The Lantern Lobby

Just off St George’s Hall you will find the Lantern Lobby. This was built where the 1992 fire started, in what had once been the private chapel. The octagonal room was designed by Giles Downes in a modern Gothic style, featuring an oak framed lantern, with Gothic vaulting. The design was inspired specifically by the lantern at Ely Cathedral.

In here today you can see a plaque marking where the fire started.

You can also see a suit of armour made for King Henry VIII. It was made in 1540, around the time he married Anne of Cleves.

Known as a ‘garniture’, it includes interchangeable plates so that it can be adapted for activities, such as sporting tournaments and battle. 6ft tall and 138cm wide around the waist it gives you a good sense of his imposing physical presence. The back plate was adjustable to accommodate the king’s increasing size. 

The Garter Throne Room 

The Garter Throne Room was created as part of George IV’s remodelling of the castle. This is where Knights and Ladies of the Order of the Garter are invested by the monarch. It also became Queen Victoria’s principal throne room.

At the back of the room is a throne and footstool made from carved ivory and decorated with gold and gemstones.

They were the centrepiece of the Indian section of the Great Exhibition in 1851 and was presented to Queen Victoria to advertise the carving skills of the region of Travancore in Southern India. 

You can also see the original Coronation portrait of Queen Elizabeth II. Painted by Sir Herbert James Gunn from 1953-56.

This image was then copied, replicated and can be found all over the globe. 

The Grand Reception Room

The splendid Grand Reception Room, in its current form, dates back again to George IV’s remodelling. It was originally the King’s Guard Chamber and contained lots of trophies and other items from the Royal Collection. It was also used at this time as the main ballroom for the castle. Queen Victoria subsequently started using it as a reception room.

The Grand Reception Room also had to be extensively restored after the 1992 fire, predominantly the intricate gilded ceiling.

It is used for ceremonial occasions and investitures, when royal family members award honours. It is where, for example, David Beckham recently received his knighthood from the King. You can see him receiving his knighthood here.

Below is the Throne Chair from Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation in 1953.

They are part of the crowning ceremony, used during the homage, for the monarch to receive the Oath of Allegiance. 

At the end of the room is this magnificent urn.

It is made of Malachite and was presented to Queen Victoria by Tsar Nicholas I. It was intact after the 1992 fire, but needed four years of conservation work as it was badly damaged by the water used to fight the fire. 

The Grand Vestibule 

The Grand Vestibule, historically, has served as the reception hall for honoured guests from across the world.

The cases display many items from world cultures, most presented as gifts, some acquired in the context of conflict. They aim to represent how the monarchy has interacted with the world whether that is through diplomacy, empire or exploration. 

The Bullet That Killed Admiral Lord Nelson

This is the Queen’s Guard Chamber, today used to display royal arms, armour and military artefacts. 

You can see, for example, rather remarkably, the bullet that killed Admiral Lord Nelson at the Battle of Trafalgar. 

Nelson was shot through the shoulder, damaging his lung and spine by a French marine at around 1.15pm on the 21st October 1805, aboard HMS Victory. By 4.30pm he was dead. The shot was extracted from the wound by the ship’s surgeon, William Beatty. It was mounted for him in a locket, which he apparently wore for the rest of his life.

The locket and bullet were then presented to Queen Victoria in 1844 by the family, after he died. The bullet still even has some of the gold lace fused to it from the epaulette of Nelson’s jacket.

Other Artefacts

I loved this door lock from 1761, created by William Walls and presented to King George III in 1765.

It incorporates two flintlock pistols that would fire at anyone trying to tamper with the lock. 

This is the Waterloo Chair, a 19th-century elm wood armchair carved by Thomas Chippendale the Younger.

It was made from a tree that stood on the ridge on the battlefield of Waterloo, where the Duke of Wellington observed Napoleon’s final advance. It was presented to George IV in 1821.

There is also always a French flag hanging in this room. It is presented every year by the descendants of the Duke of Wellington to pay a symbolic annual rent to the monarch for the Stratfield Saye estate in Hampshire. It is presented and hung on the anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo.

Visiting Windsor Castle

Windsor Castle is generally open to visitors Thursday-Monday 10am-4.15pm or 5.15pm, depending on time of year. You can see more details here. 

To get there by train, you can go from Paddington to Slough and then transfer to a local train to Windsor & Eton Central. This is the fastest option, taking around 45 minutes.

Or you can go from London Waterloo, by taking a direct train to Windsor & Eton Riverside, which takes about 55 minutes.

Thank you so much for reading, more of London’s amazing historic sites below…