Another of the Queen’s most well-known residences is Windsor Castle, where Her Majesty spent most weekends and made her main residence in her final years. It was thought to be her favourite home and where she often hosted other Heads of State and public figures. It was where she kept many of her horses and, until relatively recently, she was often seen riding her favourite horse, Emma, through the private grounds.
First constructed by William the Conqueror in 1070, the outer walls remain in the same place as where they were originally built. Over the near millennium since it was built, the castle has been lived in and refurbished by 39 successive monarchs. It is both the oldest and largest occupied castle in the entire world.
Windsor Castle is open to visitors throughout the year, only closed on Tuesday and Wednesday. Visitors can roam the brilliant gold ceremonial rooms which were used by the Queen to entertain guests, gaze at the greatest collection of paintings by artists including Hans Holbein, Van Dyck and Rubens, and admire the Queen’s 1953 Coronation dress in St George’s Hall, located within the castle.