Pablo Luna
Queen Elizabeth II has left Buckingham Palace forever to live in the 1,000-year-old Windsor Castle. The Queen and late husband Prince Philip lived in Windsor Castle for the past two years because of the COVID-19 pandemic until Philip died in April 2021 and was buried at the Royal Vault at Windsor Chapel.
It is believed that the Queen will be closer to her late husband at the Castle, and she will be relieving her childhood experiences at the place. She has spent two Christmases at Windsor and nurses no plans to ever return to Buckingham in London. She will be buried beside Philip at the vault when she ultimately passes on.
When Prince Charles eventually becomes king, he as the current Duke of Cornwall and his wife will occupy Buckingham Palace. The palace is currently undergoing a 10-year renovation costing £369 million and has been the official home of the British monarchy since 1837.
“Windsor is the place she loves,” Royal author Hugo Vickers said. “She has her memories with Prince Philip there; she has her ponies there and family nearby. It makes sense.”
Elizabeth began living at Windsor Castle as a child when her parents were the Duke and Duchess of York. Her grandfather, King George V, gave the Royal Lodge as a gift to her parents when Elizabeth was just five years old. She and her sister Princess Margaret lived at the Castle during the Second World War because it was considered safer than Buckingham Palace, which could be an enemy target in London.
Royal biographer Christopher Warwick in 2016 said that Windsor “was a place that was very much home to the Queen and to her sister for a very long time, and that cemented the emotions and attachment that she has to a place she loves dearly”.
