Queen Elizabeth II is now at Windsor Castle to keep her safe amidst the coronavirus outbreak in the U.K. This place, reportedly, holds an exceptional place in the heart of Her Majesty. Hence, she was left heartbroken when it caught up in flames in 1992 that almost spelled the end of the monarchy.
Former royal correspondent Wesley Kerr revealed how the one fateful event of Nov. 20, 1992, almost resulted at the end of the monarchy. According to New Idea, when Windsor Castle went up in flames, Prince Andrew was the only one inside. The Duke of York reportedly told his mother about the event immediately.
Windsor Castle holds a lot of memories for Queen Elizabeth. Hence, it was a terrible blow for her to know what happened. At the time, she might have thought of herself as a custodian who failed her duties as the castle was consumed by fire.
Kerr revealed that when he happened to drive along the M4 on his way back to London, he saw the huge flames that seemed to stand about 200 feet high. It was so big it could be seen from hundreds of miles away. "It seemed like the end of the world, the metaphorical end of the monarchy," he added.
The Windsor Castle fire was believed to begin in Queen Elizabeth's private chapel. A bulb was said to be pressed against the curtain that caught alight and started the fire.
Express reported that the fire resulted in millions of pounds worth of damage. It also burned a lot of rooms inside the castle to ashes. The fire cost £36.5 million to fix and a few years to get completely repaired.
As it has been almost 30 years since the fire happened, Windsor Castle and Queen Elizabeth may have now moved on. She is now in the castle for an early Easter break due to the coronavirus outbreak. As of this writing, there are now over 3,000 positive cases of Covid-19 in the country.
Business Times recently reported that Buckingham Palace announced Queen Elizabeth had to move to Windsor Castle on March 19, a week earlier than planned. There was also a big chance that she might stay there beyond the Easter period as the disease continues to widespread.
After consultation with Queen Elizabeth's medical household and the Government, other scheduled events in the coming months were also canceled. It was part of the unprecedented measures to stop the coronavirus outbreak. The Maundy Service at St George's Chapel on Apr. 9 and the three garden parties at Buckingham Palace in May were now postponed.
