Can't Get to Windsor Castle This Spring? View These Magnificent Photos Instead.

Every spring, Queen Elizabeth typically makes the move from Buckingham Palace to Windsor Castle, a gargantuan , 11th-century stone fortress about 20 miles outside of London. She stays in residence from mid-March to mid-April for “Easter Court,” an interval where she receives official state visitors, attends services at St. George’s Chapel, and celebrates her birthday (April 21st) privately with her family.

This year, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, things will won’t be royal business as usual. There will be no outside visitors, nor large religious gatherings. The Queen also went to Windsor Castle a week early and will stay later than planned. “As a sensible precaution and for practical reasons in the current circumstances, a number of changes are being made to The Queen’s diary,” Buckingham Palace said in a statement. “Her Majesty will move to Windsor Castle for the Easter period on Thursday 19th March, one week earlier than planned. It is likely The Queen will stay there beyond the Easter period.”

Despite the dark circumstances, Windsor Castle at springtime is still a beautiful sight to behold. The largest occupied castle in the world, its roots date back to 1070 when William the Conquer began to build a castle on the current site— perched upon the River Thames and a mere days march from London, it was an ideal spot for a royal stronghold.

The castle has a number of grand rooms: St. George’s Hall, for example, which is a gothic banquet room that hosts state visits and whose ceiling is decorated with knights’ coat of arms. The Green Drawing Room is adorned with emerald-upholstered furniture, and showcases Sèrves porcelain that once belonged to Louis XVI. (Wondering how it got there? The French Revolutionary government seized it from Versailles and put it up for auction. It was acquired by King George VI in 1810.)

Then there’s the art. Windsor Castle houses a priceless collection of works by Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Raphael, and Hans Holbein, and many other Old Masters. If you’re interested in more modern mediums, Windsor’s ancient round castles hold the royal photography archive.

Details about their Queen’s private residence at Windsor Castle are few and far between. However, recently, she shared a photograph inside one of her rooms—and there’s multiple corgi figurines.

The castle itself sits on 13 acres, but is surrounded by two expansive parks. The first is the private Home Park, which contains Frogmore Cottage (until recently the home of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex), the Royal Burial Ground and even a golf course. To the south of the castle is the 1,800-acre Windsor Great Park. One of the most distinctive features of the Great Park is the “Long Walk”—an expansive tree-lined path that stretches up to Windsor Castle. In May 2018, the newly-wed Prince Harry and Meghan Markle rode up the arboreal avenue. Thousands cheered and waved union jacks to celebrate their union—a cinematic moment even more poignant as the two have officially ended their royal lives.

Windsor Castle has also served the family well in times of crisis. During WWII, King George VI and Queen Mary shipped their two young daughters, Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret Rose, to live at the castle while they remained behind in Blitz-era London. (The King also took the extraordinary step of hiding the Imperial State Crown’s jewels in a biscuit tin, buried beneath a castle entrance.)

Now, several decades later, the Queen is at Windsor to weather another unprecedented global storm. And while it s unclear when the castle and its grounds will once again reopen to visitors, you can enjoy a virtual tour right now.

Below, pictures of springtime at Windsor Castle throughout the ages—from the gilded St. George’s Hall, to flowers at Easter church, to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s royal wedding.