King Henry VIII

I discussed St. George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle, where Prince Harry and Meghan Markle will marry next month, with Janet Davison for The Royal Fascinator, the CBC royal wedding newsletter.

Windsor Castle was built during the reign of William the Conqueror and has been a royal residence since the reign of William’s youngest son Henry I, who married his second wife, Adeliza of Louvain, there. Beginning in the reign of Edward III in the fourteenth century, the castle became associated with Order of the Garter ceremonies rather than royal wedding celebrations until the reign of Queen Victoria in the nineteenth century. Six of Queen Victoria’s nine children were married in St. George’s Chapel and the chapel remains a popular royal wedding venue for junior members of the royal family.

Like Westminster Abbey in London, St. George’s Chapel is the setting royal funerals as well as royal weddings. When Meghan Markle walks down the aisle, she will pass over the modest memorial plaque to King Henry VIII who is buried in the chapel. Henry VIII married six times but he chose to be interred with his third wife, Jane Seymour, who died giving birth to his only legitimate son, King Edward VI.

Click here to read “St. George’s Chapel: Gothic glory surrounds memorials to monarchs – but their marriages didn’t always work out.”

Click here for further information about the history of Windsor Castle, including the 1992 fire, which led to extensive renovations.