The security of Windsor Castle has been an important issue since

Windsor Castle Windsor Castle is a List of British royal residences, royal residence at Windsor, Berkshire, Windsor in the English county of Berkshire, about west of central London. It is strongly associated with the Kingdom of England, English and succee ...

's foundation in the 11th century.

Medieval and Tudor periods

Windsor Castle originally became a royal residence because of the protection it could afford to

Henry I Henry I or Henri I may refer to: :''In chronological order'' * Henry I the Fowler, King of Germany (876–936) * Henry I, Duke of Bavaria (died 955) * Henry I of Austria, Margrave of Austria (died 1018) * Henry I of France (1008–1060) * Henry ...

. Successive medieval and Tudor monarchs made use of the castle during revolts, plagues and other crises, including

Henry VIII Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is known for his Wives of Henry VIII, six marriages and his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. ...

and

Elizabeth I Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was List of English monarchs, Queen of England and List of Irish monarchs, Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. She was the last and longest reigning monarch of the House of Tudo ...

Georgian and Victorian periods

By the 1740s, security at Windsor Castle had diminished markedly and the site had become an early tourist attraction; wealthy visitors who could afford to pay the castle keeper could enter and stroll around the castle. As the condition of the State Apartments continued to deteriorate, even the general public were able to regularly visit the property, with children and others playing in the castle yards.

George III George III (George William Frederick; 4 June 173829 January 1820) was King of Great Britain and King of Ireland, Ireland from 25 October 1760 until his death in 1820. The Acts of Union 1800 unified Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain and ...

gradually reversed this trend when he came to the throne in 1760. This trend continued during the reign of

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in January 1901. Her reign of 63 year ...

, when the Windsor Castle and Town Approaches Act was passed by Parliament, permitting the closing and re-routing of the old roads which previously ran through the park from Windsor to

Datchet Datchet is a village and civil parish in the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead in Berkshire, England, on the north bank of the River Thames. Historic counties of England, Historically part of Buckinghamshire, and the Stoke Hundred, the vi ...

and

Old Windsor Old Windsor is a village and civil parish, in the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead, in Berkshire, England. It is bounded by the River Thames to the east and the Windsor Great Park to the west. Etymology The name originates from old Eng ...

. These changes allowed the Royal Family to undertake the enclosure of a large area of parkland to form the private "Home Park" with no public roads passing through it, creating a much more private and secure royal palace than had previously been the case.

Modern day

Although this has been less well publicised than Buckingham Palace, security at Windsor Castle has occasionally been breached, most seriously in 2003 when an intruder (the self-styled "comedy terrorist", Aaron Barschak) "gate-crashed" the 21st birthday party of

Prince William William, Prince of Wales (William Arthur Philip Louis; born 21 June 1982), is the heir apparent to the British throne. He is the elder son of King Charles III and Diana, Princess of Wales. William was born during the reign of his p ...

, but most recently in March 2012, when an intoxicated man scaled a fence and got within yards of the Queen's private apartments before being arrested by armed protection officers. Police from the

Thames Valley Police Thames Valley Police is the territorial police force responsible for policing the Thames Valley region, covering the counties of Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire in South East England. It is the largest non-metropolitan police force ...

and from Royalty and Specialist Protection within the Protection Command of the London Metropolitan Police provide the main element of physical security. The Windsor Castle Guard of the Foot Guards of the

Household Division The Household Division forms a part of the British Army's London District (British Army), London District and is made up of five regiments of foot guards#United Kingdom, foot guards and two Household Cavalry regiments. The division is responsible f ...

, provided by a

public duties Public duties are performed by military personnel, and usually have a ceremonial or historic significance rather than an overtly operational role. Armenia Since September 2018, the Honour Guard Battalion (Armenia), Honour Guard Battalion of the Mi ...

battalion A battalion is a military unit, typically consisting of up to one thousand soldiers. A battalion is commanded by a lieutenant colonel and subdivided into several Company (military unit), companies, each typically commanded by a Major (rank), ...

in London, or by the battalion at Victoria Barracks, Windsor, contributes to this. The Foot Guards battalion at Victoria Barracks, a quarter of a mile from the Castle, is supported by the

armoured reconnaissance Armoured reconnaissance also Combat reconnaissance vehicle is the combination of terrestrial reconnaissance with armoured warfare by soldiers using tanks and wheeled or tracked armoured reconnaissance vehicles. While the mission of reconnaissan ...

squadron of the Household Cavalry based at

Combermere Barracks Combermere Barracks, Windsor is a British Army installation from Windsor Castle. History The original barracks, known as Clewer Barracks, were designed to accommodate the Royal Horse Guards and were built at Clewer Park between 1796 and 180 ...

, Windsor, one mile (1.6 km) from the Castle. In times of emergency at the castle, several hundred soldiers, as well as the

FV107 Scimitar The FV107 Scimitar is an armoured tracked military reconnaissance vehicle (sometimes classed as a light tank) formerly used by the British Army, until it was retired from active service in April 2023. It was manufactured by Alvis in Coventry. ...

Light Tanks of the Household Cavalry, would be able to respond quickly to protect the castle and its occupants. All visitors are asked to go through airport style security, with luggage being X-rayed and persons walking through a metal detector. On 1 June 2007, the castle and its grounds were designated as a protected site for the purposes of Section 128 of the

Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005 The Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005 (c. 15) (often abbreviated to SOCPA or SOCAP) is an Act of Parliament, Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom aimed primarily at creating the Serious Organised Crime Agency. It also significan ...

. The effect of the act was to make it a specific criminal offence for a person to

trespass Trespass is an area of tort law broadly divided into three groups: trespass to the person (see below), trespass to chattels, and trespass to land. Trespass to the person historically involved six separate trespasses: threats, assault, battery ...

into the castle or its grounds.

References

Citations

Bibliography

*Robinson, John Martin. (2010)
Windsor Castle: the Official Illustrated History.
' London: Royal Collection Publications. . *

Rowse, A. L. Alfred Leslie Rowse (4 December 1903 – 3 October 1997) was a British historian and writer, best known for his work on Elizabethan England and books relating to Cornwall. Born in Cornwall and raised in modest circumstances, he was encourag ...

(1974)
Windsor Castle in the History of the Nation.
' London: Book Club Associates. . *South, Raymond. (1977)
The Book of Windsor.
' Chesham, UK: Barracuda Books. . *Tighe, Robert Richard and

James Edward Davis James Edward Davis (1817 – 1887) was called to the bar at the Middle Temple in 1842, was stipendiary magistrate at Stoke upon Trent from 1864 to 1870, was police magistrate at Sheffield from 1870 to 1874, and was a friend of Leigh Hunt. Wor ...

. (1858)
Annals of Windsor, being a history of the castle and town, with some account of Eton and places adjacent, volume II.
' London: Longman. *Tite, Catherine. (2010)
Portraiture, Dynasty and Power: Art Patronage in Hanoverian Britain, 1714-1759.
' Amherst, US: Cambria Press. {{ISBN, 978-1-60497-678-6. Windsor Castle