Windsor Castle

Windsor Castle, located a 30 minute train journey to the west of London, is the largest inhabited castle in the world with just short of 500,000 square feet.

This first picture is an aerial view I found via Google.

This is a view of the Castle on the horizon from a window of our approaching train.

This is The Round Tower, the last keep and most secure location within the Castle. This Tower has its own moat and a secure water supply in the form of a deep well, both built so that the Tower could withstand a long siege.

This is St. George's Chapel, the religious center of the Castle and the sight of many royal weddings and burials.

This pictures points to a remote corner of the grounds where the Queen's Royal Apartments are located. The woman you can see to the right of the corner tower is the Queen's head housekeeper, who was walking one of the Queen's dogs.

This picture and the following two deal with the The Most Noble Order of the Garter, an order founded in 1348 by King Edward III, which numbers some 24 Knights at any given time. This picture shows St. George's Hall, which holds the coats of arms of past and present members of the Order. You will notice that some shields are white. These members have brought disgrace to the Order, but their shields remain.

This picture shows the Quire inside St. George's Chapel. The 24 current Knights of the Order fly their standard above their position wthin the Quire. You will also see a half-drawn sword above each Knight's position. This is to represent their readiness and willingness to fight to defend the Realm.

This picture shows the Throne Room of the Order of the Garter, one of the State Rooms open to the public.

This is the official State Dining Room at Windsor Castle.