Whilst Queen Elizabeth II thoroughly enjoyed her spectacular Platinum Jubilee celebrations in central London earlier this year, Her Majesty stayed at her Windsor Castle residence rather than the much more conveniently located Buckingham Palace in the heart of the capital. Why did the Queen choose her out-of-town castle over the splendid 775-room palace?
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It transpires that perhaps the monarch never really wanted to reside at the palace in the first place. As reported by royal biographer Penny Junor in her book The Firm, the Queen wanted to remain living at Clarence House after her father's death, but it was, in fact, Sir Winston Churchill who strongly encouraged the move to Buckingham Palace.
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It reads: "None of them wanted to go. They loved Clarence House; it was a family home, but Winston Churchill, who was then Prime Minister, insisted upon it."
© Photo: RexAn impressive view of Windsor Castle
The Queen's unhappiness with moving from her first marital home to Buckingham Palace was also depicted in the Netflix show, The Crown.
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The monarch was clearly very fond of Windsor Castle, which boasts 484,000 square feet of space and 1000 rooms, as she chose to spend the majority of the coronavirus pandemic at the 900-year-old property along with the 'HMS bubble' of 22 staff members.
Buckingham Palace is no longer Her Majesty's main residence
The castle was also where her husband the Duke of Edinburgh spent the last of his days, and according to The Telegraph these were enjoyed with a blanket on his lap and the sun on his face.
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It is believed Her Majesty had intended to spend the festive period at Sandringham this winter, with royal staff also being informed that Windsor Castle was set to be her permanent home moving forward.
The Duke of Edinburgh stayed at Windsor Castle before he passed away in April
The royal family will hopefully take some comfort in knowing that the Queen will now be laid to rest at St. George's Chapel at her beloved Windsor Castle.
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Following the Queen's state funeral on Monday 19 September, the Queen's coffin travelled in procession from Westminster Abbey to Wellington Arch and on to Windsor. In Windsor, the state hearse will travel in procession to St. George’s Chapel, where a committal service will take place and the Queen will eventually be laid to rest alongside her late husband Prince Philip.
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