WE’RE bubbling with excitement as we head for the chapel that is to be the setting for not one, but two Royal weddings this year.
My 11-year-old has already been to Windsor on a number of occasions, but usually to visit Legoland.
Enticing her to its famous castle has been a challenge – until now. She wants to see where Prince Harry will wed film star Meghan Markle in May – followed in the autumn by the marriage of his cousin Princess Eugenie to Jack Brooksbank.
My girl chatters incessantly as we approach St George’s Chapel, speculating on everything from wedding gowns to carriages and even potential honeymoon destinations.
But she falls silent the moment we step inside. She – like her mother and the scores of other tourists around us – is awestruck.
All that can be heard as we follow in the footsteps of bygone monarchs is the click of our heels and whispered approbations.
St George’s is considered one of the finest examples of Gothic architecture in England.
My girl’s eyes are wide as she takes in the history and solemnity of it all; the opulent Quire – where the choir and clergy are usually seated, and the first part of the chapel to be completed in the late 1400s – and the fan-vaulted ceiling, hailed as one of the best in the world.
The past oozes from the pores of this building and, as if by osmosis, my daughter gets it.
This is the final resting place of Charles I, Henry VIII, Jane Seymour, and later Princess Margaret and Prince Harry’s much loved great-grandmother, the Queen Mother.
A visit to the chapel is included in the admission price to 11th century Windsor Castle – the oldest and largest occupied fortress in the world.
It’s a working castle and the Queen spends most of her private weekends here, so parts or all of it can close at fairly short notice and it’s wise to check admission status before travelling.
We are wowed by the Royal apartments – the castle’s centrepiece. But the star of the show is the magical Queen Mary’s Dolls’ House.
Built for by Sir Edwin Lutyens in the 1920s, it is a scaled-down, true-to-life recreation, filled with objects made by leading artists and craftsmen.
Its library brims with miniature works by the top literary authors of the day. It even has a fully-stocked wine cellar, electricity, running hot and cold water, working lifts and flushing loos.
Leaving this miniature world and stepping outside the castle’s walls we find Windsor Great Park with 4800 acres and a Royal history dating back more than 1000 years to explore.
The Long Walk – an iconic and magnificent tree-lined avenue linking the castle to the famous Copper Horse statue – is breathtaking and we’re told you can occasionally spot the Royals out riding here.
But Virginia Water with its pretty lake and cascading waterfall – a favourite of Queen Victoria’s – is arguably the most captivating retreat.
To get here from Aberdeen we travelled overnight on the Caledonian Sleeper, waking at London’s Euston Station. Junior loved the novelty of dinner and bed on the move, while dodging the strain of airport security checks and queues was a boost for mum.
From Euston it takes just 23 minutes by underground train to reach Paddington Station and its regular overland rail services to Windsor and Eton (taking about 34 minutes).
Once there visitors can take in most of what Windsor has to offer by following The Queen’s Walkway.
It was opened by the Queen on her 90th birthday. A symbolic 6373 km, easy-grade trek, it marks the monarch’s reign reaching 63 years, seven months and three days – one day longer than Queen Victoria’s.
The walkway links 63 of the town’s best attractions and includes the Changing of the Guard and Windsor Guild Hall.
The route ends at the Queen Victoria Statue, erected in 1887 to mark her Golden Jubilee.
New monarchs, including our current Queen, are proclaimed in front of this very statue on their accession.
It seems fitting that on September 9th, 2015 she overtook Victoria as Britain’s longest-reigning monarch.
The Facts
Standard berths on the Caledonian Sleeper’s Lowland Route start at £75, while those on the Highland Route start at £85. First-class berths start at £135 and £130 respectively.
See sleeper.scot or call 0330 060 0500
A return ticket from Paddington to Windsor costs around £20. Visit thetrainline.com
A family ticket for Windsor Castle costs £54.70. Visit royalcollection.org.uk
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