After having visited Queen Elizabeth’s main royal palace, Buckingham Palace, I was curious to visit her second home. Windsor Castle, famously known as the Queen’s second home has been her refuge during the Coronavirus times. You might remember St George’s Chapel from the pictures and recordings from the royal wedding of Harry and Meghan. Infact, Windsor castle has been a royal residence for centuries and is a living museum in itself. It is also one of the most family-friendly castles in UK. And so a visit to Windsor Castle with kids is a perfect day trip from London.
Surprisingly Windsor castle was never meant to be a residence or a recreational palace. It was built high above, overlooking river Thames. It was meant to act as a defensive fortress to guard the western approach to London. But through the many decades, the fort was transformed into a gothic palace with royal and state apartments. In fact, Windsor Castle is the favorite home of Queen Elizabeth II. Actually, you can make out if she is at home by looking at the flag hoisted at the Round Tower. The Royal Standard flag means the Queen is home and the Union flag denotes she is away.
Visiting Windsor Castle with kids
We started our Windsor trip by watching the change of Guards ceremony outside the gates of Windsor Castle. The ceremony begins with the New Guard, accompanied by a Regimental Band, march along the High Street. They then wheel right onto Castle Hill, by Queen Victoria’s statue, and enter the Castle through the Henry VIII Gateway.
Changing Guard Ceremony
You can catch this free highlight from outside the castle, from the corner of Peascod street and High Street opposite Queen Victoria’s statue which is a good vantage point. Else you can watch the changing of the Windsor Castle Guard ceremony inside the castle. This is where the Regiment, which has been on duty for the previous 24 or 48 hours hand over to the New Guard. This ceremony normally takes place outside the Guard Room in the Lower Ward near St George’s Chapel. To watch the main ceremony you must reach the castle entrance by 10:00 am. It takes some time to buy the tickets and clear the security check.
We watched the changing guard ceremony outside the gates as we were on a tight schedule and wanted to visit Windsor Castle in the afternoon. After parking our car in River Street Car Parking, we walked up the High Street which has souvenir shops and restaurants on both sides. We just made it in time as we saw the policemen stopping the traffic making way for the guard’s parade. As we managed to find a spot amongst the already gathering crowd, a platoon of guards marched towards us at the beat of drums. The whole scene was a visual delight and all the little ones seemed to be thoroughly enjoying the pomp. Similar to the changing guard ceremony in Buckingham Palace, the ceremony in Windsor must not be missed especially if you are visiting Windsor Castle with kids.
After the changing guard ceremony at Windsor Castle, we had a quick breakfast at McDonald’s before we took a wonderful boat trip with French Brothers on River Thames. After spending nearly an hour on board, we started back for the castle. We passed again through High Street and I noticed the bus stop for Hop on Hop off Sightseeing Bus Tour of Windsor and Eton.
Inside Windsor Castle
As we reached the Castle gates, there was a long queue at the entrance for buying the tickets. We waited for more than half an hour before reaching the security checking zone. The security check at the gates is quite extensive as the security process at any royal home. You can also collect the free audio guides at the entrance. Make sure you pick the multimedia guide specially designed for children aged 7-11 if you are visiting Windsor castle with kids. This family-friendly tour has Scorch the dragon who will guide you around the Castle. Windsor Castle is a perfect day trip from London with family. Infact, here is a list of all the fun family-friendly things that you can do if you are visiting Windsor Castle with kids.
St George’s Chapel
Windsor Castle is the largest occupied castle in the world which is also a working castle. Since it is a royal home, many parts of the castle are private and not open to the public. But there is enough that you can explore.
We started our castle tour with St George’s Chapel. The first glimpse of this Gothic chapel will definitely make you admire the architecture. Built almost 500 years back, the roof of the chapel has seventy-six statues of heraldic statues representing the Queen’s beasts standing atop the pinnacles making the chapel look uniquely regal. The chapel has been a site for many royal services, weddings and burials.
St George’s chapel is also the church of Order of the Garter, an order of knights that began at Windsor more than 660 years ago. Inside the chapel above the upper stalls of choir, hang the banners of the current knights showing their coats of arms.
Norman Gateway
The Norman Gateway with its imposing towers serves as a history lesson in medieval defensive fortifications. The gate had a strong defensive mechanism that included Portcullis to spike enemies to death incase they tried to enter the gates. The murder holes in the Norman gate archway are the stonework protruding out of the wall. They must have been used by the guards to drop boiling water and rocks through the holes onto the enemy. A walk along the castle fortifications will reveal many more such secrets in the form of battlements, towers and arrow loops.
State Apartments
The State Apartments are the grandest of the rooms that you can find in a palace. It was most definitely the highlight of our Windsor Castle tour. Even though you are not allowed to take photographs inside, the grandeur and glory of these chambers and rooms will be etched on your memory. The ceremonial route will take you through the rooms that the Queen uses to host official visits for Heads of State from other countries, investitures and awards ceremonies.
Due to the closing because of Covid, Windsor Castle like many other castles and museums worldwide is offering virtual tours. You can now take a 360-degree tour of the staterooms here from the comfort of your home. Queen Mary’s Dolls House is on display in the State Apartments at Windsor Castle. But, unfortunately, it was closed on the day we visited. I would definitely visit it the next time I visit Windsor Castle.
Windsor Great Park
Once part of a vast Norman hunting forest used initially by William the conquerer, the 5,000-acre Royal Park, Windsor Great Park is renowned for magnificent formal avenues including the iconic Long Walk, ancient oaks, gardens, woodland and open grassland. Walking down the Long walk and around will introduce many vantage points for viewing Windsor Castle. The park has also been featured in Harry Potter films and many other memorable movies. If you are visiting Windsor Castle with kids, spending some time relaxing in the Windsor Great Park is highly recommended.
Follow all or part of the iconic tree-lined avenue The Long Walk to experience impressive views of Windsor Castle. It is 2.6 miles from the castle’s George IV gate to The Copper Horse statue on Snow Hill, which is one of the highest points in the Great Park and marks the end of The Long Walk. Legend has it that Henry VIII stood on Snow Hill awaiting the news of Anne Boleyn’s execution. Look out for some ancient oak trees and the resident herd of wild red deer.
We were invited for a Press Trip to Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead by VisitWindsor. Please note that all the views and opinions are my own.
