BEHIND PALACE WALLS . . .
The castle was built in the 11th century after the Norman invasion of England by William the Conqueror.
It was originally used as a military fortress as it’s situated on high ground overlooking the town of Windsor and the river Thames.
Since the reign of King Henry I (1068-1135) it’s been used by 40 monarchs, including Queen Elizabeth, and is the longest-occupied palace in Europe.
The Royal Standard is flown when the queen is in residence.
Windsor Castle covers a little more than 5ha and has about 1 000 rooms, including private royal apartments.
The interior is lavishly decorated with magnificent works of art by Rubens, Rembrandt, Michelangelo and Van Dyck, among others. A royal librarian oversees a priceless collection of 300 000 books, prints and drawings.
It has 300 fireplaces – tended by a fulltime fendersmith – and 450 clocks.
It boasts the largest working kitchen in the country, the Great Kitchen, and at the queen’s state dinners each pat of butter is individually hand-rolled and stamped with a royal crown.
During World War 2 the castle was used as a safe haven for the royal family.
In 1992 a catastrophic fire destroyed about 20% of the castle. It was repaired over the next few years at a cost of £36,5 million (about R620,5 million). Among its attractions is Queen Mary’s Dolls’ House, which boasts electric lights, hot and cold running water and even a teeny-tiny flushing toilet.