July 4

July 4 – Windsor Castle

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Windsor Castle

“Happy Fourth of July,” said my niece Lisa as we rose. We had forgotten the date, a sure sign of a good vacation. It’s a bit odd celebrating our independence from a country in that country; however, Lisa, American-born, living in England most of her adult life, remembered it and told us that an American neighbor was having a cookout this evening honoring the holiday.

Lisa and her husband Chris were our hosts for three nights. The mother of two teenage girls, she is the Anglo equivalent of a soccer mom, providing transportation here and there for the girls. So giving us a lift to Windsor was just another stop, although one that was much appreciated by us.

Windsor is the home of Windsor Castle, the principle residence of the Queen. More importantly, it has been the residence of the monarchy for the past five-hundred years. It was striking to walk the hallways walked by Henry VIII and this lineage. We toured the state apartments used for official functions. There were chambers where the king or queen received visitors. Although some were bedrooms and residential parlors, the current monarchs occupy the wing across the courtyard.

However, there are two massive halls used for official functions, one of which can seat 160 for dinner. In this hall, are the seals of Knights of the Garter adorning the ceiling. One thing here reminded us of Doge’s Palace in Venice. In Venice, when a Doge committed a crime, his portrait was painted over to remind all of his disgrace. In this hall in Windsor, the crest was painted over in white of disgraced knights.

Windsor contains vibrant symbols of the Empire. One room was adorned with trophies taken after conquering one of the last sultans of India. One of the most striking was a gold tiger head with ruby eyes.

Adjoining the castle is St. George’s Chapel. Begun by Edward II and finished 56 years later under Henry VIII, St. George’s is a masterpiece of Gothic art. Flying buttresses make it possible to create a wide ceiling with intricate stone latticework.

St. George’s is the home of the Knights of the Garter. There are several chivalry orders. The Order of the Garter is the highest. This is not the order to which Sir Elton John belongs. This is the one to which Sir Winston Churchill belonged. This one has just twenty-four knights, the same number as the legendary King Author’s. There are individual pews behind the altar for each knight. Above each is a sword partially drawn from its sheath to depict each knight’s readiness to defend the Queen. Above that is the family crest of the knight. Behind the pew seat are brass plates with the crest of each knight who occupied that position all the way back to the founding of the order in 1364.

Later, that night, we celebrated Independence Day with a picnic at a neighbor of Chris and Lisa’s. There were sparklers and fireworks, just like a true American celebration. Well, it was just like an American Independence Day with the addition of people glued to the TV watching the Italians win their match in the World Cup.

By the way, we were later reminded that the diary of King George III on July 4, 1776, read “Nothing significant happened this day.” Guess he didn’t get the memo