Last week we got to visit Windsor Castle. We were staying in the area for Lapland UK in Ascot, so it made sense to go and see Windsor while we were close by as it’s somewhere I’ve always wanted to visit. Whether you’re a fan of the Royal Family or not, there’s no denying that it’s an interesting place to visit.
Windsor Castle
I’m sure you all know, but just in case you don’t, Windsor Castle is a royal residence in Berkshire, England. It’s actually the oldest and largest occupied castle in the world. Windsor Castle was founded by William the Conqueror in the 11th century and has since been the home of 40 monarchs.
“When King George VI succeeded to the throne in 1936, he and Queen Elizabeth were already living at Royal Lodge in the Windsor Great Park and considered Windsor to be very much their home. During the Second World War, the king and queen were determined to remain at Buckingham Palace at the time of the heavy London bombardments, but they joined their children, Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret, at Windsor for evenings and weekends.”
Windsor Castle is open to the public all year round. We paid £67.20 for tickets for a family of four, this includes a group booking discount.
Visiting Windsor at Christmas
Windsor is beautiful at any time of year but particularly so when it’s decorated for Christmas. We thoroughly enjoyed looking around the grounds and then the state apartments. Unfortunately you aren’t allowed to take photos inside the castle, but I did manage to sneak a photo of one of the beautiful Christmas trees.
We had lunch the Undercroft Cafe which was lovely. They had lots of festive food options available and the prices were much more reasonable than I was expecting them to be.
St George’s Chapel
I think St George’s Chapel was my favourite part of the day. It’s absolutely stunning inside. Again, we weren’t allowed to take photos inside so you’ll just have to take my word for it! It was interesting to see where Harry and Meghan got married and recognise certain bits from what you see in photos and on TV.
We were also able to see where Queen Elizabeth and Prince Phillip are buried, which was a surreal moment and much more emotional than I had expected it to be.
I wasn’t sure how the kids would find the day as they are 11 and nine, so castles aren’t really their thing but they seemed to really enjoy it. We had taken them out of school for a couple of days for this trip, so we’ll say that this was a history lesson! We thoroughly enjoyed our day at Windsor Castle and would recommend visiting if you have the opportunity to. I think the ticket price is reasonable too for how much you get to see.
Here are a few more photos from the day…
Have you ever visited Windsor Castle? I would love to know your thoughts.
Thank you for reading.
