Residents remember Her Majesty at Windsor Castle

Tributes continue to pour in.

A floral carpet's appeared at Windsor Castle since the announcement of The Queen's passing.
Author: Genevieve Holl-Allen, PA & Sharon PlummerPublished 13th Sep 2022

Windsor is continuing to remember a monarch they saw as their neighbour at Windsor Castle.

Residents are reflecting on their own personal memories of the late Queen Elizabeth II, who was regularly seen at the landmark, which became her home in her latter years.

They fondly recall seeing the royal family depart for Ascot, the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh riding their horses near the castle, and local Silver Jubilee celebrations as they came to one of the late monarch's favourite residences to remember her.

President Ronal Reagan rides horses with Her Majesty at Windsor Castle in 1982

Anna Hewitt, who has lived in Windsor since she was a child, told the PA news agency: "Coming up on Thursday evening, I brought my three teenage children at about 8.30pm on Thursday night, so very soon after news had broken, and even though of course she's not been here for the summer, the castle just felt empty, very empty.

"The trees all down the Long Walk, the beautiful horse chestnut trees, again were just so still, it did feel as if that presence that we've always just trusted was here had gone."

She added: "I grew up in Windsor and I've pretty much been here my entire life. Coming to pay my respects to the Queen, who absolutely felt like a neighbour to all of us, is for all the royal occasions that we've celebrated here.

"For myself remembering as a child being at the Silver Jubilee celebrations, I remember Princess Anne coming to my local school to plant a tree. It feels a very personal sense of loss even though I actually never got to meet her.

"When at school we would come every year and wave to the royal family as they were coming down from the castle to go to Ascot races, and so we would see (the Queen) and it was always, 'what colour would her outfit be?' It was the favourite game to play.

"I've come up a few times this week to just soak up this part of history and just be able to feel as if I am part of it in the way that I did when she was alive."

Sisters Linda and Christine, who are 73 and 75, recalled having to "do a double-take" when they saw the Queen and husband Philip near the Long Walk of Windsor Castle when they were younger.

Her Majesty with Prince Philip at the Order of the Garter in 2002 at Windsor Castle

Linda told PA: "We used to see her riding down here, if you were lucky, right in the early years, and Prince Philip in his Land Rover. She's always been a constant in our lives, so it's only right that we come and pay our respects."

Christine said: "We've also been here many times when they've had state events. We've always come down to see processions, (Linda) has always brought (her) grandchildren to see the soldiers changing the guard in the mornings."

Linda described the late monarch as "always magnificent", and said "there's just nobody I can think of ever like she was. It will be a loss, a huge loss".

Flowers had already begun to build up around the castle gates and towards the top of the Long Walk at 8.30am, including a tribute from a local group of Brownies, a section of the Girl Guides, which read: "Thank you for all you have done for girl guiding."

Flowers left in memory of Her Majesty at Windsor Castle

At 10pm each day, floral tributes are checked, with the cards and written tributes collected for the royal family, and then gathered to be laid along the grass banks up to the castle.

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