British RoyalsInterestsPalaces & Buildings

Windsor Castle halls are decked for Christmas

The holiday season is slowly starting for the Royal Family. The Christmas decorations are now up at Windsor Castle for visitors to enjoy over the next six weeks.  The staff at Windsor have been busy over the last week getting the castle ready for Christmas. The castle is open for visitors who will be able to see several historic rooms including the Crimson Drawing Room, St. George’s Hall…
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British RoyalsHistoryInterestsPalaces & BuildingsPrince PhilipQueen Elizabeth IIState & Ceremonial

Royal funerals in Westminster Abbey: history with a big hiatus

Queen Elizabeth II will be the first monarch to have her funeral held at Westminster Abbey since 1760.  All sovereigns after that date have received their last salute at St George’s Chapel, in Windsor, due to logistic challenges: the Royal Vaults in the Abbey are entirely full, and therefore royal burials are now in the Royal Vault under the Windsor chapel.  However, for a remarkable…
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Palaces & Buildings

The history of Westminster Hall

On Wednesday, 14 September, Queen Elizabeth II’s body will process from Buckingham Palace to the Palace of Westminster, where it will lie-in-state in Westminster Hall. Westminster Hall is the oldest surviving part of the medieval Palace of Westminster, now a part of the parliament buildings (also known as the Palace of Westminster in the present day). It was first built in 1097…
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Palaces & BuildingsQueen Elizabeth II

The Dean of Westminster Abbey pays tribute to Queen Elizabeth II

The Dean of Westminister, The Very Reverend Dr David Hoyle MBE, is sharing sympathy with His Majesty The King and the Royal Family following the death of Queen Elizabeth II. The Dean said of The Queen and her long association with the Abbey: “It was here in the Abbey that the late Queen swore her coronation oath and set the course for a lifetime of devoted service at the heart of our…
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