We’ve wanted to visit Windsor Castle for a long time. Today is the day. And it’s huge! No wonder it’s the largest continuously inhabited castle in the world. Around 200 people live here, including part of the royal family, the audio guide tells us. It provides lots of interesting facts about every public room in the castle and the chapel and is highly recommended.

After the security check, we walk up the path and around the Round Tower through the Norman Gate. The tower was built in the 14^th century and many other parts of the castle also date from this period. We start the tour at Queen Mary’s ‘Doll’s House’, a large 1:12 scale model of the house, which was designed to demonstrate the best of architecture, engineering and craftsmanship at the time and is truly fascinating. It originally had running water and electricity, a large library with real books, wine bottles and casks of real wine, and the miniature gramophone could actually play miniature records. The large garden on one side and the garage with Rolls Royces and Bentleys on the other side are in drawers and can be pushed back under the house. Unfortunately, photography was not allowed in the buildings, but you can find more information and pictures at www.rct.uk/collection/stories/queen-marys-dolls-house as well as a few videos on the Royal Collection Trust’s YouTube channel.

From here, the tour of the castle continues. We are amazed anew in every room. We enter the King and Queen’s reception rooms and their private quarters. Only the most important people in England had access here to watch the king get up in the morning and go to bed in the evening – a very special honour. State receptions are still held in other rooms. Huge paintings by Rembrandt and Rubens and tapestries hang on the walls. Valuable gifts that the king received are kept in other rooms. These include a cloak made of very rare coloured bird feathers, a gift from the King and Queen of Hawaii. They had brought it to London in the hope of better trade relations… and then contracted measles and died because they had no immunity to the European disease. In another display case is a medallion with the bullet with which Admiral Nelson was shot.

After the State Rooms, we visit St George’s Chapel. This is where weddings and christenings of the royal family take place, including Prince Harry and Meghan. Numerous kings and queens are buried in the chapel. We also pass the tomb of Queen Elizabeth II.

We have a small picnic on a park bench on the banks of the Thames and watch the swans and boats before strolling through the streets of Windsor. We admire a very crooked house and an old steam locomotive in the railway station.

After the return journey, we make ourselves comfortable in the hotel. We order Indian food for dinner: lababdar lamb, honey chicken, rice and naan. Tomorrow we continue on to Taunton.