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Tragedy struckWindsor Castlein 1992.
Exactly three decades ago, thehistoric royal residencewas engulfed in flames when a fire broke out in Queen Victoria’s Private Chapel room one November morning.
Windsor Castle was home to the lateQueen Elizabeth IIwhen the blaze broke out in 1992, a time she described as an"annus horribilis," or horrible year. Before the fire,Prince Charles,Prince AndrewandPrincess Anneall announced the ends of their respective marriages that year.
The blaze didn’t just destroy the room the fire ignited in, but it spread throughout the castle. Furthermore, it impacted the surrounding area, includingSt. George’s Hall(wherePrince HarryandMeghan Marklehadtheir wedding receptionin 2018) andBrunswick Tower.
Between the total damage done and the time it took to restore, here’s everything to know about the tragic Windsor Castle fire of 1992.
When did Windsor Castle catch fire?
Windsor Castle fire 1992.Tim Graham/Getty
Windsor Castle caught fire on Nov. 20, 1992. The blaze broke out in Queen Victoria’s Private Chapel around 11:30 a.m. that Friday morning.
What caused the fire at Windsor Castle?
Windsor Castle fire 1992.Tim Graham/Getty Images
Was the Queen inside Windsor Castle when it caught fire?
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Queen ElizabethII was not inside Windsor Castle when it caught fire, but her son,Prince Andrewwas there when the blaze began. Although he wasn’t in the Private Chapel room, hestill found himself horrifiedat the smokey scene — despite there being more than 1,000 rooms in the vast establishment.
“I heard the fire alarm, and when I came out of the room I could see the smoke,” he told reporters at the time. “My reaction was shock and horror at the fact that it took hold so quickly.”
AlthoughQueen Elizabethwas not at the scene when the fire broke out, she rushed 20 miles west from Buckingham Palace in London to Windsor Castle to help remove priceless paintings and artifacts from the 900-year-old palace.
She joined a human chain with Prince Andrew, firefighters and other responders to pass pictures, tables, clocks and other irreplaceable antiques from hand to hand to safety. “She is helping to take stuff out of the castle — works of art,” the Duke of York told reporters of his mother on the scene. “She has been in there for 30 minutes.”
How was the Windsor Castle fire put out?
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Three hours after the fire was first detected at Windsor Castle, more than 220 firemen from seven counties rushed to the scene in an attempt to put out the blaze. They worked nonstop for 15 hours, using 36 pumps to spray 1.5 million gallons of water, per theRoyal Collection Trust.
The fire was finally extinguished the next day, on Nov. 21. It was completely put out at 2:30 a.m. that Saturday, after blazing for 15 hours in total.
How much damage did the Windsor Castle fire cause?
Queen Elizabeth at Windsor Castle fire 1992.Pool Photograph/Corbis/Corbis via Getty Images
Despite the feat amid the tragic circumstances, there was far more damage done to the building as a whole. The blaze destroyed 115 rooms in the castle, including nine official staterooms. Furthermore, St. George’s Hall —a soaring gallery where banquets were held— collapsed completely.
At the time, experts estimated that repairs would cost up to $90 million and take 10 years to complete, according toUnited Press International. Controversy arose when Prime Minister John Major suggested British Parliament pay for the restoration of the castle.
Mathieu Polak/Sygma/Sygma via Getty
Since the establishment and its contents were too expensive to insure, “the Crown had to pay for the repairswithout the help of insurance or funds from parliament,” per History.com.
As a way to help cover theapproximate 36.5 million pound restoration price tag,Queen Elizabethopened the doors of Buckingham Palace to visitors for the first time in history and used the admission fees to pay for most of the reconstruction of Windsor Castle.
How long did it take to rebuild Windsor Castle after the fire?
Windsor Castle fire restoration.David Cheskin - PA Images/PA Images via Getty
Five years to the day after the fire, Windsor Castle was officially restored on Nov. 20, 1997 — a day afterQueen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip’s 50th wedding anniversary. Total restoration cost approximately $60 million, of which 70% came from entrance fees from Buckingham Palace visits in London, per theLos Angeles Times.
source: people.com
