PRESENT DAY

Two major elements have changed since medieval times. The first is the appearance of St George’s Chapel — built between 1475 and 1510 — in the lower ward to the left of the picture, and the second is the presence of outward-facing windows and more battlements in the upper ward.

The oldest and largest inhabited castle in the world, windsor is regarded by the Queen as her home, and it has been so for most of her life. Nevertheless, despite being a place where she enjoys her privacy, the castle also attracts an astonishing 1.5 million visitors per year.

Tourism has helped to enlarge the town, but the arrival of two railway lines in the mid-19th century also made windsor a viable town from which to commute to London. Today, the population stands at around 32,000.

The leader of the borough council garnered controversy when he called for rough sleepers to be cleared from the streets before next month’s wedding. According to locals, there has been a surge in genuine homeless people, but also in aggressive beggars and drunks. More than 100,000 people are expected to travel to windsor for the event, a crowd that would have been unimaginable when the castle was first built. The happy couple plan to ride through the streets in a carriage after the ceremony.

Windsor Castle: A Thousand Years of A royal Palace edited by steven Brindle, royal Collection Trust, £95.