The Long Walk in Windsor Great Park leads to Windsor Castle.
If you’re flying to London to embark on a cruise, consider taking a quick side-trip to Windsor Castle. Located just 10 miles west of Heathrow Airport, the historic market town of Windsor is famous for the fortress-like castle overshadowing its narrow, winding streets. Built in the 11th century by William the Conqueror, with additions and renovations carried out by successive royal rulers, Windsor Castle is the largest and oldest occupied castle in the world. It is also where the Queen likes to spend her weekends.
A chap in morning dress strolls a street near Windsor Castle.
Windsor Castle’s Great Park was for centuries the private hunting ground of the monarch. Today, its thousands of acres of sweeping parkland, woodlands and gardens are open to the public, but those of adjacent Home Park are private. They contain the royal gardens of Frogmore Estate and it is here that Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle have made secluded Frogmore Cottage their home – by permission of the Queen. The estate’s larger Frogmore House is where the couple’s official engagement photographs were taken. The unusual name of this royal country estate derives from the frogs that live in the area’s low-lying marshland.
Prince Harry and Meghan, a.k.a. the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, were wed within the walls of Windsor Castle at St. George’s Chapel – a stunning example of 14th-century Gothic architecture with its large windows and soaring pillars. St. George’s Chapel is open to the public (except Sundays, when services are held) as are the state apartments in Windsor Castle; tickets for admission to the castle and chapel can be purchased on-line at the Royal Collection Trust website (rct.uk/visit/Windsor-castle). Changing the Guard takes place at 11:00 a.m. most days except Sundays.
Inviting sidestreets wind through the historic market town of Windsor.
Many of England’s past monarchs have been laid to rest on the grounds of Windsor Castle. St. George’s Chapel contains the tombs of 10 monarchs, including Henry VIII and his third wife, Jane Seymour. Queen Victoria and her beloved husband Prince Albert are entombed in the Royal Mausoleum on Frogmore Estate. Outside in the Royal Burial Grounds is the gravesite of the Duke of Windsor, who famously relinquished the throne to marry Wallis Simpson, whose grave is beside her husband’s. Scandal has often swirled around the British monarchy and the kerfuffle caused by Prince Harry’s desire to modify his royal role is the latest in a long legacy.
About Anne Vipond
