Windsor Castle vs Buckingham Palace | Contrasting Royal Icons

Grand Reception Room: Windsor Castle’s Grand Reception Room is decorated with grand chandeliers and invaluable gold.

Waterloo Chambers: George IV added the Waterloo Chamber to the State Apartments to celebrate Napoleon Bonaparte’s defeat in 1815.

Historic rooms: Built for Charles II and his Queen, Catherine of Braganza, the Historic rooms are a series of rooms that grow smaller as you approach the main private spaces.

Semi-State Rooms: George IV created the Semi-State Rooms, the private apartments of the royals, while Morel & Seddon, the official furniture suppliers to the British monarchy, did the interiors.

State Rooms: Monarchs and members of the Royal Family are received and entertained in the State Rooms.

Throne Room: The Throne Room, designed by architect John Nash, houses the UK monarch's throne.

Ballroom: The Ballroom is the largest among the State Rooms in Buckingham Palace and was completed in 1855 during Queen Victoria’s reign. It is used for official purposes like State Banquets.

Picture Gallery: Another John Nash creation, the Picture Gallery inside Buckingham Palace displays the greatest paintings in the Royal Collection, including paintings by Rubens, Van Dyck, and Canaletto.

Buckingham Palace: Buckingham Palace is huge (we're talking 108 meters long by 24 meters wide), and covers a whopping 828,821 square feet

Windsor Castle: Windsor Castle is a more modest 48 meters by 24 meters, which comes in at 484,000 square feet.

Buckingham Palace: Buckingham Palace beats Windsor Castle when it comes to gardens. The palace boasts the biggest private garden in all of London, sprawling over a whopping 39 acres.

Windsor Castle: Windsor Castle has its own East Terrace Gardens, but it’s only 13 acres; impressive, but not quite as grand.

Windsor Castle: Windsor Castle is the older of the two – it's been around for over 900 years! William the Conqueror, who invaded England way back in 1066, built it in 1070.

Buckingham Palace: Buckingham Palace, on the other hand, is fairly new. Its history started in the early 1700s, with construction coming to an end in 1705.

Windsor Castle: Windsor Castle is fortified with walls and towers —the whole shebang.

Buckingham Palace: Buckingham Palace is more like a luxurious apartment building for the royals. It's grand and impressive, but it wasn't built to withstand a battle!

Windsor Castle: Although Buckingham Palace is bigger, Windsor Castle is the one that shares the spotlight year-round. You can visit it any time you like.

Buckingham Palace: Buckingham Palace only opens its doors to tourists between July and October. However, you can still peek at the Queen's Gallery or the Royal Mews all year round.

Windsor Castle: Buckingham Palace might be the more enormous building, but Windsor Castle is bigger on the inside! Windsor Castle has over 1,000 rooms.

Buckingham Palace: Buckingham Palace, however, only has around 775 rooms, including everything from fancy royal apartments to bathrooms and offices.