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Windsor Castle, A Royal Year - Ep2 - The Four Seasons
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Jul 4, 2025
Royal reality in a landmark series produced for the BBC. For the first time ever, cameras go behind the scenes at Windsor Castle, the largest inhabited castle in the world and home to Queen Elizabeth since childhood. The result is an intimate glimpse of castle life above and below stairs over the course of a year that includes a historic state banquet and the wedding of Prince Charles to Camilla Parker-Bowles. Meet some of the 300 people who live and work in the castle's 900 rooms: the Queen's housekeeper, grooms, fendersmiths, and military knights, to name just a few. Accompany HRH Prince Philip, the ranger of Windsor's 15,000-acre Great Park, as he tours the grounds and speaks candidly about the ups and downs of running this amazing public space. Bonus Footage! Includes over two hours not seen on the PBS broadcast, including exclusive new footage of the wedding of Charles and Camilla. The Order of the Garter ceremony is an annual celebration of Britain's oldest order of chivalry; the Royal Ascot is a major event in the horse-racing calendar.
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0:00
Over the course of a whole year, we have been given exclusive access to the hidden world behind the scenes of Windsor Castle, the Queen's favourite home
0:12
A world of royal ceremony, of pomp, history and tradition, but also of fun, excitement and colour
0:22
We meet some of the 300 staff who work and live here
0:27
serving the monarch, keeping her state apartments clean, tending the fireplaces, grooming the horses
0:34
exploring its darkest corners, and preparing the sumptuous banquets. And we meet the member of the royal family
0:44
who for over 50 years has been ranger of the great park
0:48
The castle has stood for 1,000 years, but this is the first time it's thrown its most private doors open to the world
1:05
Windsor has stood through more than 40 reigns. Over 1,000 years, members of the royal family have been born
1:13
wed and buried here. Queen! Queen! No monarch has been more devoted to the castle than the Queen
1:23
Windsor is the fixed point in her year. Just as the castle offers security and familiarity
1:29
so does Windsor's extraordinary calendar of events. From the sacred... Good luck to her. I hope she finishes second
1:37
We're racing. ...to the less sacred. For the first time, cameras have been allowed
1:43
to follow all the Windsor seasons, the time-honoured public ceremonies... Sun beating on your head, sweating really hard
1:51
Oh, God, a slip. ..and the private family occasions. Oh, look, it's quite alive
1:57
Oh, look. We are a bit lost. Yes, we are a little bit lost
2:04
Beyond the tourist trail and the public gaze, the Windsor calendar also governs the lives of those who live and work here
2:11
the people who make it all happen. This is the place the House of Windsor calls home
2:23
and these are the rituals and events which form the framework of the Royal Year
2:37
Another week of royal engagements is drawing to a close. The Queen and Prince Philip are in Hounslow, West London
2:45
to open the new wing of a Sikh temple From here, they'll travel to Windsor for the weekend
2:54
just as they do on most weekends of the year The 300 staff are always well prepared for the Queen's homecoming
3:04
Just got to check it out, see there's no rips in it
3:08
As ever, flagman Tony Martin is ready to herald her arrival. It's an interesting job and there's not a lot of people who can say
3:17
they're the flagman for her majesty. I met the Queen when we got our Christmas presents
3:22
and I actually tell her, she said, oh, you're the flagman, are you? So she knows her way on
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Some of the conditions have been really bad. Force ten gales, rain, snow, ice
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Get all the weathers. Whatever the weather, Tony will stay at his post
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until the Queen is through the gates. Hello, there's Tony again, down the flag
3:44
Any, er, updates? All right. All right, she's here now
4:06
This is, above all, a living castle, not a museum. Through childhood, war and more than half a century on the throne
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the Queen has always found Windsor to be a constant through changing times
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That is why this is her favourite home. It's nice having the boss back
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It is all in time. Every generation continues to have its own ideas about the place
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not least Prince Philip. The original beds were rather sort of complicated
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and they didn't seem to fit very well. And so I got an artist friend of mine
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and together we made a model of this, of the whole of this
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and tried various arrangements on it and eventually settled on this sort of cartwheel thing
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with these are all rose beds, which makes it in a sense relatively easy to manage
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And different colours, but they sort of match each other. And then they built a pergola there
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because there's the orangery, which was unused, it made a swimming pool in it
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We used to have Christmas here. It was very popular with all the young
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It still gets used. Do you ever use it yourself, sir? Yes, I use it, yeah
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Easter, and Windsor's royal year begins in earnest. Most of the Queen's family gather to spend the long weekend together
5:49
and attend Easter Sunday service at St George's Chapel. Windsor's royal cycle begins once again
6:00
In our early years, the whole of the year was dominated by school holidays
6:05
So in practice, what we did was we came here for the Easter holidays, and we still do
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In many ways, it works quite well, because our children, knowing the routine, tend to come back holidays
6:16
and the grandchildren get brought with them. And so it forms a nice kind of annual structure
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For the next few weeks, by tradition, the Queen will conduct all her daily official engagements not from London, but from Windsor, during what is known as Easter Court
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Today, the light cavalry are on parade in Windsor Great Park to receive a royal warrant from their captain general
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Windsor and the horse are inseparable. It's here at Windsor that the Queen trains and keeps the horses which she and her family ride
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And one, two, three. Terry Pendry, the stud groom, is in charge of all the Queen's horses at the castle
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When she's down here with her horses, she is probably at a more relaxed state
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And we, as her staff, must never forget that she is the Queen
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And the right terminology is Your Majesty, and that's how we greet her in the mornings
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good morning your majesty thereafter we call him on whenever the Queen rides here Terry is never far from her side Nothing goes on in his world without it reaching the highest level in the land
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Right through to conception, right through to retirement, Her Majesty knows every single one of her horses and ponies
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Not only does she know her parents, but their grandparents and their great-great-grandparents
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And she leaves no stone unturned. She names all her own horses and ponies
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herself and takes a great, great deal of interest in every single one of them
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Hello, Lily. This is a little three-year-old called Tiger Lily. She's one of the riding horses, but she is quite special
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She moves beautifully and she may well end up with Zara as an event horse
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By early June, the Windsor seasons are moving on. No castle ritual is more colourful or ancient than Garter Day
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The castle must be at its decorative best. It was at Windsor in 1348 that Edward III appointed 24 of his most trusted supporters to be knights of the Garter
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so named after the blue ribbon which went with the honour. monarchs have been appointing garter knights never more than 24 at any time ever since
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to this day every knight or lady of the garter in history is recorded by a coat of arms in
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windsor's greatest chamber saint george's hall and every garter day the queen and her own two
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dozen hand-picked knights will take part in a velvet robed procession Over. Again
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Getting it right is a responsibility of the Queen's Master of Ceremonies, Colonel Sir
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Malcolm Ross. Right, gentlemen, the Queen is coming down the stairs. The Garter Knights are in the hall
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He is a firm believer in the wisdom of rehearsal. There is no book which tells me how to arrange anything
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I wish there was, and perhaps I shall write one when I leave here. Present up
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My role on Garter Bay really is the procession from the top of the hill, Windsor Castle
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down through the lower ward to St George's Chapel. Three carriages represented by one car
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A magnificent and very ancient procession full of really the most distinguished people in the country
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one way or another. There you are. Not everyone can attend rehearsals
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so castle staff take the place of any key absentees. You did this last year, didn't you
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No, I haven't done it for about... I was here last year. Deborah last year
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You did it last year. Oh, yeah. Duke of Kent, Prince of Wales, Duke of Gloucester in the middle
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Right. No role is more prized than being Queen for the day
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This year, the honour goes to Chapter Secretary Letty Jones, soon to retire after 30 years' service
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When you are singing the national anthem, if you don't by now know the second verse, then please learn it
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So, Rolf Hamerly, you could move, please, away. You've gone back for tea now, Lettie
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I know. Yes. So we've got the carriages that have come up
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There'll be a number of black dameliers... While Sir Malcolm must ensure that the Garter procession is faultless
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Garrison Sergeant Major Billy Mott is responsible for those who will guard it
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Keep going. Go into the engine court. We'll be in there in a minute. We've got something in the region of 30 officers and 340 men
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and that's with all contingents that are involved in the garter service. That's a large number of men that may well not be 100% clear of what's required
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OK, come on, drill, salt, we haven't got time! So I demand 100% from each and every one of them men
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and that means I've got to start throwing some small grenades to get them toe in the line so that they know what they're doing
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Right, I want your heels on the edge of the curb. Come forward. Get forward so your heels are on the edge of the curb
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Where's your partner? I can see he's not there. Where is he
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I don't know. Is there a reason why we're not on the markers here
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There can be no margin of error for the Queen's Guard in the Queen's Castle
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You've got a man missing, haven't you? Right, cheers. But there are a dozen soldiers in the castle who will be forgiven the odd mistake
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The Military Knights of Windsor are a collection of distinguished old soldiers
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who lend dignity and symbolism to events at St George's Chapel throughout the year
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Their principal task has always been to pray for the monarch and the Garter Knights
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You'll see as you go some fairly considerable beams. General Sir Michael Hobbs is the governor of the Military Knights
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His army career began at Windsor. My first job was as a sentry just outside Henry VIII Gate
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In those days, the sentries were outside the gates. And little boys used to come along and place matches, you know
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in between your fingers and then set light to them to see if you moved
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So it was tough. The military knights live inside the castle walls
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in a terrace of narrow houses with as many flights of stairs as rooms
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It's hardly ideal accommodation for retired officers, some in their 80s. When someone rings the doorbell and says
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can you come and see me, it is 79 steps down before I actually get to them
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And worse still, if they then want to go to the office, it's another 79 steps up
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The military knights are still polishing their boots and sharpening their drill
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way beyond the age at which they should have given up. They need no encouragement
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Yes, Garter Day is a very special day for the military knights
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And for one or two of the older members, it's a trial, but it's a trial which they would hate to shirk
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Gata Dei Dorns. It's a spectacle which always draws huge crowds
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even if it means a long wait in arduous heat. The household team, who move from royal residence to royal residence with the Queen
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are preparing for the traditional Gata Dei lunch in the Waterloo Chamber
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We put the white wine and the red wine in all the tables, which are water jugs
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and the port, we put the port in every two stations. And the beers, we only put the beers on the Duke's table
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because only the Duke is going to have one Particular requirements are anticipated Beer not wine for the Duke of Edinburgh Olive oil rather than butter for Prince Charles
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Prince of Wales, yeah? Stick it above his butter knife. He has that instead of..
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I'll save the butter. Equal care is taken with the flowers. Garter table, approximately about 19 displays are on that table
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because the little ones and the big ones. Garter's always the same time
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so you really have to go with the flowers that are available. And as we're in the middle of, as I said, English summer flowers
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that's the epitome of it. Household staff are trained to fold napkins in six different ways
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This is the Prince of Wales feathers, which is one of the folds we do
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I always use Prince of Wales for the garter here. It looks more effective on the table. It will be a long but memorable day for all the participants
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As the crowds find a vantage point in the lower ward, the Garter Knights arrive at the state entrance
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The Order of the Garter is the Senior British Order of Chivalry
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and I suppose, therefore, is the Senior Order of Chivalry in the world
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There he is, here he comes. The conqueror of Everest, Sir Edmund Hillary ascends the grand staircase
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Sir Edmund, how are you? Very nice to see you again. Would you like to sign the book while we've got your spare for a moment
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The Gartonites are former politicians, national heroes, and long-serving representatives of the Crown
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No one forgets the origins of the Order. There's an enormous amount of tradition in it
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and I think it's a great mistake to just deride tradition. I think tradition is quite important in a country
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and of course personally it's a great honour because it's the Queen's own decision
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It isn't like the honours list which is done by the government and so on
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It's the Queen's own personal thing, so it's a great compliment. The garter robes are brought out of storage
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Each knight will process in a velvet mantle and cap with an intricate arrangement of heraldic emblems
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Barely visible will be the garter itself, worn below the left knee
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and inscribed with the motto, Oni soit qui mal y pense, shame on him who thinks evil of it
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Jeremy Bagwell-Purefoy prepares the regalia. My garter colours. Most of which have just been valued at about a quarter of a million pounds each
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That is the batch of the Order of the Garter, which is St George
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and is actually known as the Greater George. And this one's the Duke of Abercorns
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and that's actually the oldest one we've got, about 350 years old
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The last batch to be made was made about 100 years ago
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We made five. In the lower part of the castle, the other band of knights are making sure their kit is faultless
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Right, are you ready to put this on? Absolutely. Your bonnet is here, is it
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Bonnet is there. The military knights will lead the procession. On a hot day such as Garter Day, the middle of June
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it can be very, very uncomfortable. We're in the uniform, I think, somewhere between an hour and a half, two hours
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You all right, Peter? Sure. Stand still. Stand still. OK. Then I'll adjust
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One of the older military knights is Major Peter Bolton. He fought in special forces units across Europe in the Second World War
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Yep. Smarts are buttonsting. OK. I was going up in Garter, Las Garter, coming up the hill there
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jam-packed with people. And I was trying to find my way through
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And I said, I'm an old veteran. medals are getting me down
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They parted us, didn't they? It is a hard day on the elderly, more elderly
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More elderly? Yeah, more elderly. I'm one of the younger ones. I'm the eldest. The eldest are walking about knights
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Yes, you are, yes. The Garter knights and their wives have been lined up
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in the grand reception room by Sir Malcolm. The Queen is on her way
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Protocol is an essential part of my trade, and it is more than just good order
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It's good manners. It's getting everything in the right place at the right time
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with great attention to detail, so that nobody feels uncomfortable. Nobody feels out of place
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Everything is fully explained to them in advance. The Queen's entrance, then, is in no way frightening
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and nor is the Queen's attitude towards the things. She takes her responsibilities as host remarkably personally
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and all of that defuses the situation which makes protocol work. Everyone is seated punctually in the Waterloo Chamber
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The Queen does not like long lunches. Because the guests are usually the same
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the garter seating plan is rotated so that no-one sits next to the same person more than once every ten years
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In St George's Chapel, the final touches are applied
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The last thing before the service starts is to place the sovereign's copy of the service in her store
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You can see it's got a garter blue cover. So I just place that near the stall, open it for her
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Lunch over. The Gartonites are in their robes and regalia. They assemble at the state entrance
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at 2.40 the signal is given for the procession to commence
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military knights followed by garter knights followed by her majesty and other members of the royal family
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The 500 yards are taken at a slow pace
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in deference not just to old age and the temperature, but the public's desire to get a good view of everything and everyone
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Garter Day is not mere pageantry. It goes to the heart of the English identity
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When he founded the Order of the Garter here, Edward III chose St. George as its patron saint and renamed the chapel St. George's
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It was for this reason that St George went on to be adopted as patron saint of England his Red Cross its flag Windsor Garter England St George all bound up in this one occasion
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outside the crowds and soldiers listen to the service of thanksgiving through loudspeakers
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the temperature is 90 degrees Another ritual in the royal cycle has been observed
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Six and a half centuries after its foundation, the Order of the Garter has been honoured for another year
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It's a nice piece of pageantry, which I think a lot of people enjoy
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It looks, I mean, rationally, it's a lunatic, but in practice everybody enjoys it
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In the Royal Muse, Terry Pendry has some new recruits. This is where the famous Windsor Greys are trained
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to pull royal carriages at state occasions. Terry must see if these two are up to the mark
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So what we have here this morning is the new recently purchased Windsor Greys
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the leading horse being Dunkirk, who is a seven-year-old, and the horse behind is Norman Dee, and he's six
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As you can appreciate, to breed white greys is very, very difficult
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This was just sheer chance that these became available, and obviously that's why we've got them
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Well done, Norman. Good lad. The Windsor greys are a very, very important part of the royal muse
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Her Majesty, when she's on ceremonial duty, is normally pulled, certainly on the troop in the colour, by a pair of greys
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Relax. Okay. Quietly back down to a walk. The royal muse itself was designed by a man called Wyatville
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It was finished in 1842. September 1842 was handed over to Queen Victoria
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but the whole build for the 110 stables in this magnificent school was £70,510
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That wouldn't even buy you a house now, would it? But I suppose in those days it was an extreme amount of money
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For those Windsor greys already up to Terry's demanding standards, it's going to be a long week
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They must play their part in another great Windsor spectacle. In 1711, Queen Anne established racing on the heath at Ascot
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a village on the other side of Windsor Great Park. Nearly three centuries on, the five days of Royal Ascot
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attract well over 300,000 people each year. It is by far the biggest event in the racing calendar
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And yet it seeks no corporate sponsorship. It doesn't need to. Elegant excess is an established part of the ritual
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But nothing has come to define Ascot more vividly than its fashions
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What I love about Ascot is it breaks all the fashion rules, every single rule
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I mean, if the high street says it's vintage, you can be sure there won't be a spot of vintage to be seen at Ascot
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and equally if it's meant to be black and white, it'll all be florals here
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I'm really here as a kind of accessory to my wife's hat. That's what my day is
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My wife adores it because she can get all doled up and so do I
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I've changed my tyre this year, I don't know whether you noticed. The one thing I will say about this particular ascot
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I don't think there's ever been one that is quite so bare. I've seen navels, I've seen more cleavage than I'd seen in the lap dancing club
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Bare shoulders, bare everything. It's quite extraordinary. Apparently they have relaxed the rules
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At the Royal Muse, the Windsor Greys are preparing to put on a show too
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Philip Barnard Brown will be riding with them. They certainly know it's different than normal
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and I think once we turn them around here and start to harness up or saddle up, there's a certain amount of expectation there also
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So yeah, they do sense it. The coachman and outriders receive the list of occupants for each carriage
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The Duchess of Bedford, Mrs. Roughton, Lord Euston and Mr. Christopher Rice-Jones
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This is my lovely wig, which I try and hide carefully inside my hat
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And mine's one of the better ones. I hope my mother recognises me
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Right. We had one horse which was a little bit stiff, so we took it out
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We've changed a horse in one of the teams. By the way, they look very well. Day three of Ascot is Ladies Day
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the most popular and competitive day of the meeting. The bookies are even taking bets on the Queen's hat
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On Tuesday, she wore pale yellow, and yesterday, she wore pale blue
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So those are obviously not really considered in the book because it would be a terrible fashion for a part
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for her to wear the same colour for two days in a row. So we've made four to one joint favourites, lilac and pink
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Pink is obviously the colour of the year at the moment. It's very, very popular. The Queen, I think we can confidently expect, will be wearing something bright, possibly turquoise or lemon
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We are a bit cautious about these royal bets sometimes, because when William was named
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we had a big gamble about an hour before that was announced, and we strongly suspect that came from the palace
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Out in the great park, some spectators have been making hats of their own
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It's a local tradition for schoolchildren to come out to greet the Queen. Queen's coming
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The carriages are filled with the royal family and the Queen's houseguests
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many of whom are staying for the entire week. The racing gives all the guests something to do
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because you know what it's like, every weekend or a week, people, if they wonder about nothing to do, they become a nuisance
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but that is a very... It forms the kind of bones on which the whole of the rest
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of the entertainment takes place. For many, the royal procession is as much of an attraction as the racing
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Finally, the puns. To see the first result of the day. In the Royal Hat Stakes, the winner at 20 to 1 is white
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Now that the Queen is on the course, the day can really begin
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For Ladies' Day, Ascot has chosen an all-female line-up to present the trophies
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The Windsor Greys arrive home. It's been a long day for all those at the Royal Meuse
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It's a nine-mile ride each way. We've done it in just over four and a half hours today
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Yeah, it's hard work. We all sleep well in the evenings this week. Yes
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We were really happy with our team. Our boys behave themselves extremely well
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It's sometimes hard to get your distances right. All night went pretty well
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He's yawning. He's tired. Was that hard work, mate? Was that hard work
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Another day. And for the Queen, the most exciting of the entire meeting
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She has a runner in the 420. Promotion 9 to 2, early doors this morning with William Hill
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Let me tell you that this is the best backed force of the whole Royal Ascot meeting
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The whole meeting is all around the Queen, the Royal meeting, and obviously it's been heavily backed all day
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Nothing excites this loyal crowd or worries the bookies more than when the Queen's colours are racing on home ground
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So he's half the price that he was first thing this morning. Now, by my estimation, that would take out around £3 million
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around the whole of the UK. Having taken one last look at promotion
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the Queen returns to the Royal Box. Her trainer, Sir Michael Stout, is cautiously optimistic
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You know, we feel he's got a good chance here. Our slight concern is the ground, but she's well aware of that
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You know, the Queen is a breeder. She's got a wonderful database of all her families, and she knows the score
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He won on good to soft ground last time and really enjoyed it. Does it put you under any push
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Do you feel a little more nervous than you would any other race course? We've done our best, and obviously it means so much
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not just to her, but everyone else, that, yes, it makes it a little bit more edgy, to be honest
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Well, promotion of the Gambler of the Week so far. What price is it now, Angus? Two to one
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This is a real monster gambler, the biggest I can remember. Good luck to her
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I hope she finishes second. We're racing. promotion the gambler the race got away completely
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the boards are turned out and the allen fire gets tuned and forth on the inside of your
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londy they're still falling some fun of redford promotion on the outside moves up redford has taken the lead
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redford has gone for him now promotion but redford has skipped away
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Second is promotion, the camera was full. The horse was called promotion, the Queen owned it
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There was 50,000 there, they all wanted to be on it. But once again, unfortunately, something came along and beat it
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And what's happened? Barry Bismarck was right again, but I've lost any chance of my title, haven't I
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Not quite the happy ending the crowd had hoped for. And how will Her Majesty have taken regard to that
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What's the race with her? Oh, totally realistic. She knew when they turned in, we weren't going to win
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but she was satisfied with the performance. Ascot concludes with the traditional finale
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Thousands of winners and losers congregate around the bandstand. I think you see a very interesting cross-section
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You see the top and you see the bottom. Horse racing does attract the kind of raffish element
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in the upper classes and the working classes. It's like what Lord Randolph Churchill, Winston's father, said
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He said that the aristocracy and the working class are united by the bonds of a common immorality
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The result of the 420 soon fades. More sober rituals are being played out by the resident garrison who guard the Queen and her castle
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For the next few weeks, it's the turn of the Irish Guards, recently returned from Iraq
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I chose the Irish Guards because I come from Ireland and because I've had family in them
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And it's something that I wanted to do since I was 16 years old when I was at school
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Rearing on the river and I had this idea that I think the first thing was that I always thought you'd be fit if you stayed in the army
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Captain Alex Cosby attended school just down the road from here, at Eton
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Another local recruit from nearby Slough is Guardsman Mark Hansen. Left school
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Done nothing at school. Went and worked on Dad's fairground. like traveling all over the country
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fancy saying, doing something better. So just joined the army, better in the army
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because in the fairgrounds there's always fights and people nicking cars, smoking drugs, all that crap
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It's not me. New guard! Slap! Hike! As at Buckingham Palace, changing the guard is both an historic ritual
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and an important tourist attraction. The guard itself is really very ceremonial
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It's tradition. It's showing off the tradition of the army. It's a tourist attraction
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because everyone wants to see this thing that is famous At the same time we do have that function of protecting the monarch when she is in residence It is a privilege and an honour to guard your monarch
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When you're standing on a sentry, women come up to her, they stand there, and you look at them like that, and you think, oh, she's nice
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At one time, some bird started laughing. She walked off and come back, just gave me her phone number
36:32
She rolled it up and put it in the top of my rifle, as in where the bayonet bit goes
36:37
The captain of the guard, too, has his admirers. Without being arrogant, a lot of people have always liked a uniform
36:44
I think you can say that there's probably been a lot of women who have been invited around to tea here over the years
36:50
And obviously, from the poem, how late tea has gone on, I can't say
36:55
Some lady visitors have even recorded their thoughts for posterity. I write this as a warning, not a threat
37:03
to those who find it easy to forget that tea-time here means more than having tea
37:08
At least it did, luckily, to me. I came here girlish innocence and left
37:14
a woman knowing all and quite bereft of that sweet virtue which would still be mine
37:19
if I had gone at six instead of nine. Another stag is over
37:56
and today, no-one has left Mark a telephone number. It just goes on and on and on
38:04
Your knees hurt, your feet hurt. It's all part of the job, like. Do you find it easy to keep a straight face up
38:11
Hmm. Like... With August, the Windsor seasons move on and the royal family depart for Balmoral
38:21
There is no holiday, though, for the Queen's castle. The visitors are still pouring through
38:29
And out in the great park, there's a harvest to be gathered
38:34
The governor of the castle is Air Chief Marshal Sir Richard Johns
38:41
When the royal family are away, Sir Richard is king of the castle
38:50
The castle exists to do a number of important functions. It is a working castle
38:57
This was taken in July 2002, and this photograph shows the working population of the castle
39:04
There are something like 160 people who actually live day by day within the castle walls
39:09
and there is a great feeling of community spirit. When the gates shut, Windsor's extended family come out to play at one of the governor's summer barbecues
39:20
Is this the best one? They're the very best. Quite clearly the role has changed over the years
39:26
I mean, initially this place was a fortress, and I guess my role from being a sort of military supremo has gradually evolved
39:34
into the appointment that I now fill, which is as formerly as the Queen's representative in the castle
39:40
That's my job done. Tonight, bad weather has done nothing to dampen spirits
39:45
as other members of the community help out. Stud groom Terry Pendry wears a favourite outfit
39:51
It's the best shirt I own. Barbecues and things like that, of course, yeah
39:57
It's the right shirt to wear, isn't it? As a busy living institution, Windsor cannot afford to let time stand still
40:09
This is a place which operates on punctuality. The timekeeper is Steve Davidson
40:15
He is the castle clockmaker, but his task is not to make clocks
40:23
It is to look after the 450 already in existence. I don't like it when you've just got dead clocks sitting around
40:31
I can't stand seeing clocks just not doing anything. Clocks are definitely a sort of cheerful thing when they're ticking along
40:38
I mean, if you listen to it now, it's quite a cheerful sound. There couldn't be a nicer job for a clockmaker
40:43
Within the castle, there's some of the finest clocks in the world
40:47
The variety of clocks is enormous. I mean, I look after from very small clocks, which are really watches
40:55
up to a very, very large turret clock. I've got seven turret clocks and absolutely everything in between
41:01
Hello, Jim. How are you? Fine. There's clocks in nearly every department
41:06
so I probably know more people in the castle, more rooms than almost anyone
41:11
One of the lovely things about Windsor Castle is because it's a royal residency
41:15
it's a home, it's alive and it's working. Everything in it works
41:21
And I can't imagine Windsor Castle any other way. Well, it's clock-changing day
41:31
Autumn brings a monumental task. The clocks must go back an hour to mark the end of British summertime
41:39
Steve has to change every single one across the entire Windsor estate
41:51
These clocks don't just play tunes. They've inspired them. Inside here is a fantastic organ clock
42:01
It's made in 1734. Placed ten pieces by handle. Six of them he arranged for the clock
42:10
We're now still in property services. We are a bit lost. Yes, we are a little bit lost
42:19
You memorise a route you memorise a clock but if you make one little mistake on that then you completely lost Steve timekeeping odyssey has taken him out to Prince Consort Farm Cows must be milked on time even if their clock has not changed since the days of Prince Albert
42:40
It now thinks it's nine o'clock in the morning. For most people, it's a little bit of a nuisance
42:51
They've just got to remember their clock. For me, it's a big nuisance
42:55
It takes me around about 16 hours to change all the clocks
42:58
And I work through the weekend. Well, this is all part of the castle
43:07
I tend to think of the home park as almost like the garden. The next stop in the grounds is Frogmore House, a former royal residence
43:25
I think the big thing is always a sense of history. With a castle, you're very aware of history just going by
43:31
that you're just part of it, you're just going through. I've gone one hour too many, so now I've got to go back up there all over again and start again
43:49
I'm just moving at 11 hours instead of 12 hours. OK, Natalie, thank you very much
43:59
Like clockwork, the public parts of the castle are closed at five every afternoon
44:05
Steve is still trying to turn back time as darkness falls. This is one of my favourite parts of the castle
44:11
All the clocks in the kitchens are left purposely five minutes fast
44:18
The punctuality in the royal household is important, especially if you've got, say, a state visit
44:24
or you have major functions going on. Everything has to work like clockwork
44:28
and it's quite difficult when you're relying on clocks which are 200, 300 years old
44:41
By late evening, the Queen's castle can be a lonely place. Beautiful French clock
44:48
I really like these large, blue ones. On one occasion here, I couldn't find the light switches
45:01
and I could definitely hear footsteps. I don't know if it was my overactive imagination
45:07
but I didn't feel very alone. It's the same time of year, and I stood there, putting the clock forward
45:13
They look like light switches. I usually do this part of the castle in daylight
45:25
If you can imagine sort of standing here in the dark, with just a little magnet-like torch
45:31
with your imagination running wild, feeling cold and sort of... I'm waiting
45:35
and waiting while the clock's struck. I normally work to..
45:48
When I'm doing this, I normally work to about half past 11. Aha, I love it
45:56
There you are, it's a great clock. This is the main turret clock for the quadrangle
46:05
Hopefully we're okay. There we go. If not, I'll spot it in the morning
46:17
After two days and nights, Steve has Windsor back on the right time
46:22
Until, of course, it's time for the clocks to go forward again. Autumn dawn
46:33
Stud groom Terry Pendry always likes to beat the overnight Heathrow air traffic
46:37
to the tranquillity of the park. Beautiful morning. The sun's just starting to rise
46:43
I've had probably about another ten minutes. Often this time in the morning you hear the dawn chorus
46:48
Depends which way the wind's blowing, but the dawn chorus this morning are the Branson birds of the British Airways
46:55
migrating in from the Americas. This is the largest lived-in castle in the world
47:04
The rest of the world come in on those tin cans to see what we've got here, you know
47:09
Tradition and history. All year long, whatever the season, Windsor's part-time team of bell ringers
47:18
must mark important royal dates. We hear that they appreciate our efforts
47:25
but they don't often come to see us actually ring. but they are around
47:30
Although it can sometimes be hard to remember some of them. We're ringing for one of the royal birthdays
47:36
Which one is it? Harry? Prince? We're ringing for Prince Henry. Harry, isn't he
47:43
No, his real name is Prince Henry. Oh, yeah. Look two. Trouble going. Gone
47:57
This year, though, the Queen's autumn return is overshadowed by a death in the family
48:07
Princess Alice of Gloucester, the Queen's aunt, has died at the age of 102
48:16
She was the longest living member of the family in history. The house of Winsap house is a very small town The house of Winsap house is a very small town The house of Winsap house en masse at St George Chapel
48:46
This will not be a state occasion, but a private funeral for a mother and grandmother
48:58
She was a favourite aunt of the Queen. Princess Alice's son, the Duke of Gloucester, leads the mourners
49:24
A bearer party from the king's own Scottish borderers carry their former colonel-in-chief
49:33
The coffin leaves for the family burial ground, just beyond the walls at Frogmore
49:40
Princess Alice will be buried alongside her husband, the late Duke, and her elder son, Prince William of Gloucester
49:46
who died in a 1972 plane crash aged 30. December in the Great Park
50:00
It is time to gather the great Christmas tree. This one will take pride of place in the State Apartments
50:12
Windsor's royal year is drawing to a traditional close. The more tuneful castle staff are out in force
50:28
If you'd like to sort of come in from that end and just file all the way down
50:32
we can keep you dry. The carol singers know just what to sing
50:40
as they arrive at the stables to greet the Queen's horses. This is the second year that we've done this with the horses
50:56
Last year was quite a success, so it's grown from that. I actually think they enjoy it. They love company
51:03
Jesus, I sleep on the head. It's just for our little community
51:16
It's kind of the end of the season, ready to start the new one. Stud groom Terry Pendry refuels the singers and sets them on their way
51:30
Someone else is expecting them. Adore him, O come, let us adore him, Christ the Lord
51:45
I love thee, O Jesus, look down from the sky
51:55
and stay by my cradle till dawn in his night
52:06
Your Majesty, I think it might just be possible that you would have heard best quality music
52:13
in the course of the last year, but you won't have heard any more affection
52:19
We come to wish you and the family a really happy Christmas This is another ritual
52:58
another of life's anchors for the Queen and her castle. It makes a great difference to the way in which Windsor evolves
53:06
if you've got somebody, if you've got people living in it as occupiers
53:12
because there's a coherent community kind of sensation. So it makes a very, I think, organic system
53:22
And I think that's what gives it its attraction and its strength. It's a hierarchy
53:27
It's a living organism inhabiting this ancient establishment. We wish you a Merry Christmas
53:35
We wish you a Merry Christmas. We wish you a Merry Christmas
53:40
And I'll leave you here. Thank you very much. whatever surprises the new year brings
53:52
Windsor will always be here for the monarch who has loved it more than anyone
53:57
just got to check it out
54:10
see there's no rips in it look at this, this is England
54:16
this is fantastic You couldn't buy this in a million years. We, as a staff, must never forget that she is the Queen
54:30
On a hot day such as Garter Day, the middle of June, it can be very, very uncomfortable
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