Windsor Castle
Windsor Castle is located in Berkshire, in the town of the same name, Windsor, and its area covers about 45,000 square meters. Windsor Castle reached such impressive dimensions over its nearly thousand-year history, during which it was repeatedly rebuilt and expanded. The modern appearance of the castle complex dates from 1820.
Windsor Castle is the largest inhabited castle in the world. Members of the British royal family regularly live there. Queen Elizabeth II of England likes to stay at the castle, often spending weekends there. At such times, the castle is closed to tourists, as indicated by the raised and waving English flag above the castle.
In the famous St. George's Chapel of Windsor Castle, Queen Elizabeth conducts the solemn ceremony of knighthood and induction into the Order of the Garter, awarding orders to notable figures in sports, science, social services, and so on. By tradition, the solemn initiation flows into a festive street procession through the castle grounds and in the town itself (outside the castle). According to ancient customs, the queen holds formal dinners in honor of distinguished guests in the Waterloo Chamber.
On all other days, a large part of the ancient building is hospitably open for tours. The queen's own apartments, the public reception room adorned with works by Van Dyck, Rembrandt, and drawings by Leonardo da Vinci, are accessible. It is allowed to visit the famous St. George's Chapel, the burial place of many English monarchs (Henry VIII, Henry XIII, George VI, and Charles I who was executed here). Windsor Castle is guarded around the clock by royal guards; dozens of people come daily to watch the changing of the guard.
Like any ancient building, Windsor Castle is home to ghosts, some of which are over 500 years old. The most frequent 'guest' of the castle is considered to be King Henry VIII, who married many times during his life and executed two of his wives for imagined infidelities. Sometimes Windsor Castle is honored with the attention of the ghost of George III, as well as the Duke of Buckingham, who according to legend was summoned during a séance and never returned to the afterlife.
They say that members of the royal family are tolerant of visits from ghosts of their ancestors, and only Princess Diana, once 'meeting' a ghost, was shocked and afterwards felt fear.
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