St. George’s chapel is a church located within the grounds of Windsor Castle, a Norman-era castle built by William the Conqueror. It is named for England’s patron saint.
The chapel is the home of the monarch’s highest order of chivalry – the Order of the Garter, established in 1348 by Edward III. The annual Garter ceremony is a famous procession of newly invested knights of the order in their blue robes.
Love and Marriage
Several of Queen Victoria’s children married at St. George’s since it was a smaller venue. After the death of Prince Albert in 1861, Victoria was rarely seen in public and royal weddings were therefore not grand affairs in Westminster Abbey. One of Victoria’s daughters, Princess Alice, married in the dining room of Osborne House!
Prince Harry’s wedding to Meghan Markle was one of the more recent to take place in the chapel. Other weddings include: Princess Eugenie & Jack Brooksbank, Princess Beatrice & Edouardo Mapelli Mozzi, and Lady Gabriella Windsor & Thomas Kingston.
Burials
Like its larger counterparts, St. George’s hosts the whole circle of life – the celebration of weddings, baptisms, and mourning.
King George III built the Royal vault as the resting place for several kings and queens, including for himself and his wife, Queen Charlotte. Others at rest in St. George’s are Queen Mary; Prince George, Duke of Kent; King George VI and Queen Elizabeth, and their younger daughter, Princess Margaret.
Other Events
The chapel holds The Royal Maundy Service each year, attended by Her Majesty the Queen. There are Christmas services, Easter services, and recognition of important dates such as Remembrance Sunday.
