I was amazed at the length of the queues. We were there over 30 years ago and I think we almost virtually walked straight in (also no booking online in advance in these days)! Nice wedding photos, btw. What a handsome couple you were then (and still are)!
I knew there would be long queues, but was gobsmacked at how long they were when we arrived! Thank you for your kind words. I think it's unfair that I just look a lot older now, but Ian looks better!
The Jubilee weekend was less than two years ago in 2022, a bank holiday date was moved to June, the Queen appeared on the Buckingham Palace balcony, there was a flypast, the Mall was filled solidly with people and lined with the Union Jack flag.
Even though I'm all about Wiltshire, Windsor is a special place for me. My wife grew up there, and we lived there for the first 5 years of our marriage. As residents we used to get free entry to the castle.
That is a special privilege of living nearby! It's nice to hear that you have a personal connection to Windsor 💖. Did your wife routinely cross paths with the royal family?
@@MagentaOtterTravels yes she did. Prince Philip especially could often be seen driving around. During Ascot race week we would sit on the long walk and watch then all be driven out of the castle and they would wave as they went past
Beautiful castle, but it sure draws a crowd. I can see why so many people visit. Well, I heard about it anyway! 🤣🤣All joking aside it would be a must visit for us. Shame about the planes and not being able to film. Makes it hard to vlog as you said. Still enjoyed coming along!
Thanks Dave! I have been so busy traveling and hosting guests that I have not been able to watch many videos lately. I look forward to catching up with what you kids are up to! I hope your mother is healing well.
Interesting that the previous monarch's names are written above the doors. It must have been very emotional to see the Queen's tomb 🥲 Awe, poor Weston and his shaving mishap! I'm surprised His Majesty hasn't done something about the constant stream of planes flying over the castle too!
Weston's face was a bloody massacre. He does it pretty much every family vacation... slashes it to bits with a cheap razor. Hence I have nearly no family photos!! Yes, it was very emotional seeing the tomb for QE2. Seems so recent that we had been celebrating her Jubilee!
Great video. My brother used to live in Windsor so visited the castle. It's rather grand inside although the lounge of the late Queens apartment here was rather normal (from a tv address she did) with a sofa, tv, family pictures on the mantelpiece and a tv guide on the sofa!!
@@MagentaOtterTravels Forgot to say the Queen neatly ran over me on the long walk royal park outside windsor castle! It's not a public road so I was walking along it with my brother and sister in law when I became aware of a car behind me and it was the Queen driving with just one security personal beside her. She was peering over the steering wheel. RIP
What a beautiful day and tour. Thank you for bringing us along as I don’t think we can arrange a visit when we are in the UK this fall. Do they close tours when the Royal family is staying there? Great job Dara! ~Cara 😊
I think the tour still happens since they are in a different part of the castle than the private apartments. I think you should prioritise going to the Tower of London if you haven't already been there.
I went here as part of a big tour group, I remember the tour bus parked in the back and we had to walk the rest of the way to the castle, I remember passing through a little train station and some shops and as for the castle itself, I enjoyed it immensely, our tour group got to avoid the line and we were let in first because we were such a huge group
Very good to be able to skip the line! Even though you were in a large group, that is a castle that can handle a lot of people because it is SO immense!!
Gosh has it been a year already? Wow. Love the patriotic shops. We have a Victoria too (statue and building). Nice roses. Love those wedding pics ❤ a trip 31 years in the making. A really stunning Castle. Great guards capture. Ah poor Lizzy, we all miss her. Wow, you might have us beat with that postbox topper. Poor Weston shavings mishap! King Ian’s no fly zone. Ah Lizzy would approve of the Corgis. A green post box? Gosh. 👍
Yes, I think I found the ultimate postbox topper... fit for a king! I do love a good Victoria statue. Is yours of Old Vickie? I appreciate honouring a woman who is mature and wise... not just a 25 year old in her prime ;-)
All three receptions were small gatherings in people's homes... no big fancy country club with a sit down dinner or open bar (of course). We had family all over... though Ian and I were living in California, all my family was in Illinois and Ian's was in England. So we just decided to have 3 receptions. It made it easier to plan that way... especially since our engagement was only 2 months! With regard to all our family and friends, I joked "don't come to us, we'll come to you"... hahaha
That's where Wills mum got her MBE. Loved those patriotic donuts! I've never visited, it looks beautiful. We'll pop this on our list to visit. Cheers 🍻
The historic Berkshire town of Windsor is not far from Heathrow airport and often recommended on travel forums for a final night stopover before a flight home instead of an airport hotel, with luggage and no frequent public transport though book a taxi, approx 20 minute drive.
Always a kid weekends to visit in summer as very busy, best to go weekdays early, and spring or late autumn best as avoiding school holiday crowds, apart from that it's still a very very impressive building
Even if you don’t go to the castle the historic town of Windsor & Eton makes a nice day visit, many shops and places to eat, drink and sit, riverside walk, feeding Swans, boat rides, the 2.5 mile tree lined Long Walk castle approach in Windsor Great Park, a walk past Eton College where many famous people attended, Windsor has two railway stations so is well served, parking is expensive.
Yes, too bad you could not take any pics or videos inside the castle. Still, this was beautiful, Dara, and amazing how enormous it is. I admire you guys for having the patience to stand in those long queues!!😌🏰
Windsor Castle is definitely a place to visit, I have a soft spot for it as the castle was the first castle/stately home/palace I ever saw in the UK. On my first trip to the UK during my university years, my friend who was spending their Gap Year working there took me. In those days (pre the 1992 fire) it was free to enter the lower ward and St George's Chapel, the paid part was only the State Rooms. After the fire they needed the money to restore the castle so started charging to enter the grounds. During my Gap Year (after uni)I lived in the town of Windsor for a while, London got too big for me. Away from the main street, the station and the castle it's actually quite a peaceful town. I liked the walk along the river and over the bridge to Eton as well.
When the King is in residence at the Castle and it’s the same at Buckingham Palace the change the flight paths✈️ not only due to noise but for security reasons.
@@juliegolding2646 Nope utter rubbish The don’t fly directly over the castle or the palace anyway unless it’s an official fly past. They do not change flight path when the king is in residence that’s just not possible to do
Hi Dara So sorry this comment is over due... I was on my filming trip and just got back. my notification box was flooded... 900 yrs and till the castle exists to live in...remarkable...wait a min? so how the utility lines inside of castle are wired??? For my curiosity, is there central air system in there? hahah Is the castle tour pretty much busy all year around??? OMG when you said 13000 acres of the property, I could not imagine it. we have Biltmore Estate here: George Vanderbilt's lifetime was approximately 125,000 acres Now I got I know how large property is. wow. I enjoy your personal story and this visit to the castle. I wonder what made you interested in the GB? Ian? or something else? I have a friend in Biltmore Forrest and she has a large Flag, crest, and etc... you can name it I always enjoy the diversity between countries through your films. Did you get emotional to walk through the castle where Queen Elizabeth may have walked on??? I really liked her attitude as a figure/symbol of England. Although I liked Princess D. hahah Thank you always very much for complete tour guide.
Thank you so much for your lovely comment! You never need to apologise for missing a video or watching it late! I know you are very busy with travelling and filming like I am. These days I have very little time to watch videos, because we are always running around and playing tour guide to our friends who are visiting from the US. We currently have friends with us who are visiting from North Carolina! They will be with us for a month! Castles like this have been extensively modernized over the centuries, so they managed to put in central heating and air conditioning and all the modern technology and conveniences. Because this is one of the most famous castles, it is very busy with tours all the time! But I'm glad we made the time to go. It was thought-provoking to walk around in the footsteps of where monarchs have lived for nearly 1,000 years! The most emotional part from me was walking by Queen Elizabeth's tomb... 😢 The Biltmore estate is certainly very grand! One of the most impressive American "castles"!🏰
The Royal Collection Trust holds the copyright to the items and interiors to royal palaces, that's why you can't take photos. You have to pay to video or photograph interiors, I went to Sandringham last year and you couldn't film in there either. Kensington Palace is run by Historic Royal Palaces and they do allow photography there. I assume Highclere Castle also copyright their interiors and that's why they don't allow filming or photography. The Downton production company probably pays a good fee to film inside Highclere. I visited Sansouci Palace in Germany and if you want to film there you pay a photography fee and you wear a wrist band to show you paid and can film. Otherwise it's no photography for copyright reasons.
@@megashark9108 I don't remember an audio guide. I would say the best thing to do is go first thing in the morning. That always seems to be the best bet with very crowded tourist locations like this! This Friday I'm posting a video about our trip to Hampton Court Palace. We went there just as it opened in the morning. Definitely a good strategy!
Hi. If you go to Windsor Castle in August you trade the increased number of tourists for the fact that you can go into the Governor’s house’s private garden inside the castle’s grounds as he, like the Royal Family, is away from the castle (at least that was the case many years ago). Windsor Great Park is the free to enter part of the Windsor estate and covers 5,000 acres and includes gardens to explore. The private gardens are just that so that the Royal Family can enjoy some privacy. Remember that Windsor Castle is the family home whereas Buckingham Palace is the “corporate office”. FYI Post boxes were originally green in colour when introduced during Queen Victoria’s reign. They were changed to red at a later date. Therefore that post box has been kept in its original colour for heritage purposes, I would assume.
Did you cross over the river to Eton? It's lovely too and not as crowded as Windsor. Despite the tourists, I enjoy strolling through the streets of the towns of Windsor and Eton. If you remember, Charles and Queen Camilla were married in Windsor's town hall. But there was something about, if they married in St George's chapel, the chapel would have had to be opened to marriages for members of the general public too. But I thought as it was a second wedding for both, it would have been a nice touch to have held the wedding at a church in Scotland, where there would have been none of the delicate issues of them marrying in St George's, where they were only able to have the Archbishop bless their union. Churches in Edinburgh, like St Giles Cathedral, which also has more space, and being Church of Scotland, i.e., Presbyterian, has no strictures about church weddings for divorced people. It would have been an ideal choice. That was why Anne and her second husband chose to marry in Scotland. It would have also made the second blessing ceremony unnecessary, and also raised the profile of the royal family in Scotland.
If you want gardens then you need to go into Windsor Great Park - Savill Garden is 35 acres of formally laid out gardens, whilst the Valley Gardens are 250 acres of undulating valleys with loads of flowering shrubs, bushes & and trees. Windsor Great Park itself is a fabulous place to go and walk - deer in the deer park, loads of monuments & statues, Virginia Water, a Roman folly, and some of the oldest trees in the country. And all pretty much traffic-free.
I thought Windsor was an impressive experience, especially seeing paintings that were so familiar of Henry Xlll and Anne Boleyn. My sister and l went to the Royal Windsor Horse Show last week and they must have been coming in from the other direction as we barely heard a plane. If you are over here now, welcome back, or should l say welcome home!
Yes, we have been here one week now! Just finished with our first group of visitors who enjoyed the lovely weather as we toured the Cotswolds! We are very happy to be "home" ;-) Cheers, Liz! XX
Terrific video Dara, I went to Windsor Castle last September and my partner and I both thought actually there was far too much opulence in the castle, riches beyond belief (mostly/all probably paid by the good old UK tax payer) when we have a world with many souls struggling to survive 🤕 And thank you for bringing some settled warm weather across with you to the UK. Cheers mate!
Yes, it is rather unpleasant to think about the extremes of opulence and poverty that exist. My eldest son really doesn't like going to palaces for that reason... I'm so glad that the weather has warmed up a bit. Our American visitors were very grateful for it! Cheers for watching, Ian!
A freedom of information request will show that all overheads and costs are met by the crown (excluding personnel and the military) her majesty was the first monarch to volunteer to pay income tax, but if this were not the case, the royal family generate (on average) in excess of 2.5 billion pounds per annum from the tourist trade and is therefore a nett contributor to the treasury. Forgive me but I get a little annoyed at general assumptions that are made by individuals that speak ( or write ) about things of which they know nothing about .
@@robk5159 - Respectfully the British Royal Family are still funded by the tax payer. They would not function as they do without that. The Queen may have been the first monarch to pay tax, but my point is all the riches they have date back well before her time. Clearly there is revenue generated by tourism etc by the Crown Estates, there's no disputing that, however without the tax payer they would no longer exist. I don't need any FOI request to figure that out! Did QE2 pay 40% Inheritance Tax when she died? No of course not, there is a law excluding that scenario too
@andrewdoubtfire4700 I think the no fly zone only applies to light planes coming within 1.25 nautical miles. The late Queen was said to be able to tell which airliners flew over Windsor by the sound of their engines. 'Hello Magazine reported that The Queen was enjoying lunch with her racing friends at Windsor Castle when she stopped and said: "Boeing 747," as a plane flew overhead. Then she added: "That’s an Airbus." 😁😁
👍 two things... 1) you should be sponsored by our tourist board 2) why don't you have a 100k+ subscribers already? oh, and a third thing... 3) doesn't Ian look so young in your wedding photos (btw you have hardly changed!)
1) Thank you! 2) Bless your little cotton socks! The real reason is that I do a wide variety of topics rather than staying in one small niche... which the RU-vid algorithm hates. I think it would also help if I were younger and had a more pleasant voice LOL! 3) Ian looks 14 in our wedding photos! He was 26 but looked SO YOUNG! Our younger son is the same way. He's currently 26 but looks much younger. He inherited his dad's baby face!
@@MagentaOtterTravels re point 2) - I only found out about your channel because it was referenced (and recommended) by another RU-vid channel (think it was 'reacting to my roots')
How do you rate Windsor vs. Arundle castle as a total experience on your scale of English castles? My opinion is that Windsor is certainly beaten by Arundle and Warwick.
Windsor is worth it for the history and is a must for royal family fanatics. But I prefer Arundel. Ian and I absolutely love it!! We haven't been to Warwick in about 20 years, but I remember being very impressed. We always recommend it to friends who want to see a medieval castle that is very well preserved.
Nothing beats Dover carstle for loveliness..it’s even got a chip shop viewed down below in the town..and I’m talking chipperie finesse here..teeming visitors do a pilgrimage to Dover every day of the year..
Good video Dara!! It's a shame Queen Mary's Dolls house had such a wait,,,It truly is an amazing object!! And is 100 years old this year!! An interesting family fact : My Great Uncle was police bodyguard to Queen Mary!! However he said she was a truly formidable and terrifying woman and didn't NEED a bodyguard!!😅😅😅😅😅😅
That is VERY funny! I love hearing these family stories! We detest long queues... so after enduring the one at the entrance, there was no chance we could cope with the one for the doll's house. Too bad we missed it, because I do enjoy a good doll house ;-)
Yes I remember the fire. The BBC interviewed people who said they'd love taxpayers money to be used to pay for the repairs. Only the people were actually extremely hostile to the idea and said this extremely rich woman should pay for the repairs and why wasn't she paying income tax like the rest of us anyway??? Suddenly all the BBC interviews were of people who objected to footing the bill, which just goes to show that TV news channels only show the interviews they think will be popular with the public.
Few people understand the way the Monarchy is financed and that, although the Monarch may own places like the castle, it is not theirs to do with as they will.
@@grahvis I know very well how the monarchy is financed. Although the monarch doesn't own the castles they still get to live in them rent free for life, so it's just the same as owning them.
@@MagentaOtterTravels they were thinking of a pleasant ambience for people to lose their heads by..Hershey Squirts and Rolling Heads..pass me a drumstick, excellent entertainment today what? Eventually somebody thought of football which is a little less violent..entertainment gentrified..
No I don't like statues of Queen Victoria. I loathe them. I fell off one if you remember? 🚑🤕 I mentioned the Royals used to be called Saxe-Coburg and Goethe up until the start of WWI when they had to change their name. 'What should one call oneself now? I know. We'll call ourselves after our favourite castle, Windsor.' If any of those swans had rings on them then they don't belong to the crown.
@@redsquirrel1086 speaking of making wisecracks, I just finished editing my video about the Stanton Open Gardens. It comes out in two weeks. I make a red squirrel joke in it! You'll have to watch for that 😉
Hiya Dara, welcome back to England, I enjoyed this vlog about Windsor Castle, that's all I have to say right now, this is Choppy in Whitehaven, Cumbria, England
With whats happening in the world your videos are showing us that ther are still lovely kind people and beautiful places to visit it, they are so reasuring. Thank you,
Thanks so much. Yes, we all need a bit of mental escape at times because there are so many sad and scary things happening all over... Take care. Thanks for watching and taking the time to comment! Dara
Great video Dara. I was wondering, have you been to Runnymede? That's very close to Windsor and would be interesting for you I think. There's a piece of land there that's officially the USA, gifted by us to you. Also, how are your American visitors enjoying the lovely weather this week? Hope you managed to show them a glimpse of the Cotswolds looking their finest.
Yes, the first group of visitors LOVED the Cotswolds and thoroughly enjoyed the weather! It was 38 F and raining when they left Utah and it was warm and sunny the whole time they were here! They left this morning... next batch arrives tomorrow morning!
Hi Dara, I hope Ian didn't try and put his drone up, they'd have shut down Heathrow again.😉 Pity you didn't get the Household Division guards, just the boring old regular army! Looks like the Royal Anglian Regiment or the Royal Fusiliers. The Gurkhas have just done a stint there last month.
Yes, the guards were not wearing the really fancy uniforms, which would be nice to see! But I still appreciated getting to see these fine fellows!❤️ Ian is very careful about not putting the drone up where it is not allowed. This place would definitely be off-limits! Interestingly, his drone won't even let him fly it in restricted airspace that is near an airport or military base !
Lovely film. Did you know where the state apartments is that used to be the jousting area. If you look at the tower it’s in three parts the lower part was the mediaeval part and the second and third Georgian extensions. Down where the Guildhall is usually called gallows Road. During Elizabethan times if they found out you come from out of Windsor during the plague they would hang you. Just a small grumble. Windsor is not a city it’s a town. Just a bit niggling as someone who lived worked I went to school there.
Oh, trust me, I know what a serious offense that is! That is why I filmed this video ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-X4X1uXJK3Pw.htmlsi=v7sSx4KGDVjBcrMW But I still sometimes don't know if something is a town or city. Sorry!
You certainly had a lovely day for your Windsor visit! Great commentary from you both - thank you. Can't believe it's more than 30 years since we visited Windsor Castle: just shows how you visit your nearest places of interest least often!
Yes, and in 30 years the thousand year old castle probably hasn't changed much... except for the passing of one monarch and the crowning of another! We had a lovely day for that visit, and we have enjoyed the sunny weather we have had this past week. A warm welcome back to Gloucestershire!
Fascinating place. I think I recognised some of it from the funeral. 30 quid seems a bit rich. You'd think the royals could afford to give a discount. No wonder I'm a republican (not the American type 😂 ). It is ridiculous that in the 21st century our head of state is King Charles. Having said that we get the King's birthday holiday in a couple of weeks. 😂 And no, our holiday is not Charlie's birthday, nor Liz's for that matter. It is has traditionally been the second Monday in June forever. There's a Windsor here in Melbourne and in Sydney. Somehow I don't think our original English settlers were very original when naming places. 😂 No wonder there has been a movement to rename some of our places names the original indigenous names. The local government area we live in Melbourne recently changed from Moreland to Merri-bek for example. I really have to get some gelato this weekend.
I'm confused... what is the holiday on the 2nd Monday in June? No, the original English settlers in Oz as well as the colonies just named things after England! Why was Moreland renamed? Yes, you NEED gelato!!
@@MagentaOtterTravels Kings Birthday holiday is the 2nd monday in June. Moreland was apparently named for a Jamaican plantation that one of the early settlers here owned. Moreland had slavery connotations so was thought not to be appropriate for the city name. I always need gelato. 😂
@@Poliss95 True, but Windsor is about 5 miles out of Heathrow, so on the glide path in, but when they take off most planes turn South or North within 2 miles. The planes in the video have their wheels down so are heading into land.
The sheltered garden and bench seen @1:40 is where Catherine Princess of Wales broadcast her message in March informing the nation that she is receiving a course of chemotherapy.
So pleased to see another MOT vlog. Just home from work, the sun is shining and have a pot of tea (complete with Union Flag cosy) made and now have something gentle and fun to watch. Hope you’re all well.
@@MagentaOtterTravels I just sent an email telling off a radio presenter for getting a fact about trains wrong on the cricket commentary. 😁 I'm in a bad mood today because there was a minute change in my daily routine which made me forget whether or not I took my chill pill this morning. lol
@@Poliss95 I think you are infamous!! Seriously, though, I think it is an American bad habit that we do lots of anniversaries. It is very common to say "our three month anniversary" or "our one week anniversary"... I know that's not the correct use of the word anniversary, but... thems the breaks.
