A history of the burials at Windsor Castle

Ten sovereigns are interred within St George's Chapel itself: King Henry VI, King Edward IV, King Henry VIII, King Charles I, King Edward VII, King George V, King George VI, and, most recently, Queen Elizabeth II. Additionally, King George III, King George IV, and King William IV are interred in the Royal Vault beneath the Chapel, and Queen Victoria is in the Royal Mausoleum at Frogmore.

Yes, visitors who purchase a ticket to Windsor Castle can access St George's Chapel, which is open on Mondays, Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays. This allows you to see the tombs of monarchs like Henry VIII, George V, and the ledger stone of Queen Elizabeth II in the King George VI Memorial Chapel. The Royal Vault is not generally accessible to the public.

There are many unique customs associated with royal burials at Windsor Castle. The most interesting one is when royal members were buried in the Royal Vault; the coffin was lowered through a special opening on the floor of St. George’s Chapel. In 1873, a hydraulic lift mechanism was installed to help lower coffins through this opening. There is also a bench in the middle of the Royal Vault, used as a temporary place for coffins to be buried elsewhere.

St George’s Chapel, the burial site within Windsor Castle, isn’t just home to the tombs of countless kings and queens. With a seating capacity of 800 people, it is also the largest space in Windsor Castle.

Queen Elizabeth II is buried in the King George VI Memorial Chapel, a small annexe attached to St George's Chapel inside Windsor Castle. She lies alongside her husband, Prince Philip, her father, King George VI, her mother, Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, and the ashes of her sister, Princess Margaret.

Yes, you can visit Queen Elizabeth II's grave at St George's Chapel all year round from Thursday to Monday. However, be respectful of the site, as this is the final resting place of several other sovereigns and royal family members.

Princess Diana was given a royal funeral. However, her body was not placed in the Royal Vault at St George's Chapel since she was not a princess by birth and was divorced from King Charles at the time of her death. Instead, she was buried at Althorp House, the Spencer family home in Northamptonshire.

Following his abdication, Edward VIII (later the Duke of Windsor) and his wife, Wallis, were buried in the Royal Burial Ground at Frogmore, which is a private cemetery on the estate. This was done as per an agreement and is a separate site from the main sovereign burials within St George's Chapel.

For centuries, Westminster Abbey was the primary burial site for English and British sovereigns. However, by the death of King George II in 1760, the royal vaults in the Abbey were becoming crowded. His successor, King George III, decided to create a new, dedicated royal crypt, the Royal Vault, at St George’s Chapel, Windsor. This officially established a new tradition, making Windsor Castle burials the preferred choice for subsequent monarchs.

You can see where he is buried, but not the tomb he had commissioned. King Henry VIII had planned a colossal, elaborate monument for his Windsor Castle burial, but it was never completed. He was interred in a simple vault beneath the Quire of St George's Chapel. Visitors today can see a black marble slab on the floor of the Quire which marks the spot where he lies, alongside his third wife, Jane Seymour, and King Charles I.

The Royal Mausoleum at Frogmore, an estate near the castle, holds the tomb of Queen Victoria and her husband, Prince Albert. Queen Victoria personally oversaw the construction of this grand, separate tomb shortly after Albert's death in 1861, as it was their mutual wish to be laid to rest together in this private, personal space, marking a departure from the tradition of sovereign Windsor Castle burials within St George's Chapel itself.

While the Royal Vault contains a large number of coffins from the 19th century, it is generally considered to be near capacity for permanent interments. Due to space constraints, the focus for senior members of the Royal Family is now on the King George VI Memorial Chapel, and other junior members are interred in the Royal Burial Ground at Frogmore. The Royal Vault is still sometimes used for temporary storage of a coffin before a body is moved to its final resting place, as happened with Prince Philip.