Windsor Castle | Royal residences: secrets and scandals
In the eighth episode of Royal Residences: Secrets and Scandals, Professor Kate Williams explores the history of Windsor Castle – a site of imprisonment, civil war, royal marriages, and tragic deaths
How did a Norman fortress become the world’s most iconic royal residence?
King John retreated here before signing Magna Carta; Henry VIII dismissed Catherine of Aragon from Windsor as he began his break with Rome; and Queen Elizabeth I hid out from plague and political threats.
Join Professor Kate Williams, historian and broadcaster, as she explores Windsor’s significance through the ages. A site of imprisonment, civil war, royal marriages, and tragic deaths, it housed the crown jewels in a biscuit tin during WWII, and served as a safe haven for princesses Elizabeth and Margaret, who once even used George IV’s sedan chair as a prop in their production of a pantomime.
Windsor Castle isn't just a building; it is the setting for a thousand stories of British royalty, power, pride, tragedy, and reinvention.
Authors
Professor Kate Williams is a historian, author, and broadcaster, and professor of Modern History at Reading University