Category Archives: Royal Churches

St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle in Windsor, England

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2021

St. George’s Chapel; Photo Credit – © Susan Flantzer

St. George’s Chapel, which this writer has visited, is located in the Lower Ward of the precincts of Windsor Castle in Windsor, England. Calling it a chapel is a misnomer as it is more cathedral-like. St. George’s Chapel is a Royal Peculiar, a church under the direct jurisdiction of the monarch instead of a bishop, and is also the Chapel of the Order of the Garter. St. George’s Chapel seats around 800 people and has been the setting for many royal funerals since the reign of King George III and many royal weddings since the reign of Queen Victoria.

https://www.britainexpress.com/counties/berkshire/windsor-castle/st-georges-map.htm

1 – Nave
1a – Memorial to The Prince Imperial, son of Emperor Napoleon III and Empress Eugenie of France, killed in the Zulu War in 1879.
2 – Beaufort Chantry – Tomb of Charles Somerset, 1st Earl of Worcester and his first wife
3 – West Nave Central
4 – Urswick Chantry – Chantry chapel for Christopher Urswick, Dean of Windsor, Memorial to Princess Charlotte of Wales is also here
5 – Tomb of King George V and his wife Queen Mary
5a – Rutland Chapel – Tomb of George Manners, 11th Baron de Roos and his wife Anne.
6 – King George VI Memorial Chapel – King George VI, Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother,  Princess Margaret, The Duke of Edinburgh, and Queen Elizabeth II are buried here
7 – Hastings Chantry – Chantry chapel for William Hastings, 1st Baron Hastings, executed by Richard III
8 – Tomb of King Edward IV and his wife Elizabeth Woodville
9 – Wrought Iron Gates – designed to protect the tomb of Edward IV
10 – Tudor Oriel Window – Built by King Henry VIII as a gallery for Catherine of Aragon
11 – Reredos and East Window – Built as a memorial to Prince Albert, husband of Queen Victoria
12 – The Garter Stalls – Stalls for the Knights of the Garter
13 – Entrance to the Royal Vault
14 – Crypt where King Henry VIII, his third wife Jane Seymour, and King Charles I are interred
15 – Roof Bosses – At the crossing are the arms of King Henry VII and the Garter Knights
16 – The Royal Stalls
17 – West Window – Stained-glass window portrays 75 royals, saints, and popes
18 – Bray Chantry – Tomb of Sir Reginald Bray
19 – Oliver King Chapel – Oliver King, Canon of Windsor, later Bishop of Bath and Wells
20 – Edward III’s battle sword measuring 6 feet 8 inches long
21 – Oxenbridge Chantry – Chantry chapel for John Oxenbridge, Canon of Windsor
22 – Tomb of King Henry VI
23 – Tomb of King Edward VII and his wife Queen Alexandra
24 – Lincoln Chapel – Tomb of Edward Clinton, 1st Earl of Lincoln and his third wife
25 – East Doors – 13th-century ironwork frames the doors which were the entry to King Henry III’s Chapel
26 – Dean’s Cloister – The site of the cloister was built in 1352

Note: The Albert Memorial Chapel is not labeled.  It is at the top of the diagram, above the number 25.

In 1348, King Edward III founded the Order of the Garter and the College of St. George at Windsor Castle. St. George’s Chapel is part of the College of St. George which now also includes St. George’s School, St. George’s House, the Military Knights of Windsor, the Chapter Library and Archives, and the Choir of St. George’s Chapel. At the time of the founding of the Order of the Garter, the church at Windsor Castle was the Chapel of St. Edward the Confessor which had been constructed by King Henry III in the early thirteenth century and stood on the site of the present Albert Memorial Chapel, part of St. George’s Chapel. The Chapel of St. Edward the Confessor was rededicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary, St. Edward the Confessor, and St. George, the patron saint of England, and became the Chapel of the Order of the Garter. A new porch was built on the chapel to serve as an entrance to the new College of St. George.  From 1475 – 1528, the 13th-century Chapel of Edward the Confessor was transformed into the cathedral-like chapel that we see today.

Heraldic banners of the members of the Order of the Garter; Credit – By Josep Renalias – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=3530668

The quire of the current chapel is now the place where every June a special service is held for the members of the Order of the Garter. The heraldic banners of the current members hang above the stalls of the quire where the Knights of the Garter have a seat for life. Each stall has small enameled brass plates displaying the names and arms of each Knight of the Garter who has sat in that stall. Members of the Order of the Garter meet at Windsor Castle every June for the annual Garter Service. After lunch in the State Apartments (Upper Ward of the Castle), the Knights of the Garter process on foot in their robes and insignia, down to St. George’s Chapel for the service. If new members are to be admitted, they are installed at the service.

Tomb of Henry VI at St. George’s Chapel, Windsor; Credit – findagrave.com

Before the reign of the House of Hanover, there were only a handful of royal burials at St. George’s Chapel because the primary royal burial place had been Westminster Abbey in London. King Henry VI was interred in at St. George’s Chapel in a tomb on the south side of the altar and King Edward IV and his wife Elizabeth Woodville were interred in a tomb on the north side of the altar. Jane Seymour, the third wife of King Henry VIII, who died from childbirth complications after delivering his long-awaited son, King Henry VIII, and the beheaded King Charles I are all interred in the small vault in the floor of the Quire of St. George’s Chapel.

Coffins in the Royal Vault; Photo Credit – the-lothians.blogspot.com

By the time of King George II’s death in 1760, the royal burial vaults at Westminster Abbey were quite crowded. His successor, his grandson King George III, decided to build a new royal vault at St. George’s Chapel at Windsor. The new Royal Vault was constructed in 1804 under what is now the Albert Memorial Chapel. Between 1863 – 1873, Queen Victoria had the original chapel converted into a chapel in memory of her husband Prince Albert. Prince Albert is not buried there, but his son Prince Leopold, Duke of Albany, and his grandson Prince Albert Victor (Prince Eddy), Duke of Clarence are buried there. Also during Queen Victoria’s reign, a set of steps was built at the west end of the chapel to create a ceremonial entrance to St. George’s Chapel.

Ceremonial entrance at the west end of St. George’s Chapel; Photo Credit – © Susan Flantzer

Memorial to Princess Charlotte of Wales, the angel on the left holds her stillborn son; Photo Credit – http://www.stgeorges-windsor.org/

Only three of the Hanovers interred at St. George’s Chapel have a tomb or memorial. Princess Charlotte of Wales, who tragically died in childbirth at age 21 and most likely would have succeeded her father King George IV on the throne has a very moving memorial. Charlotte’s body is draped as she ascends to heaven along with angels, one of which carries her stillborn son.

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Albert Memorial Chapel

In the Albert Memorial Chapel, there are tombs with effigies for Queen Victoria’s hemophiliac son Prince Leopold, Duke of Albany who died at age 31 due to hemophilia complications after a fall, and for Prince Albert Victor, Duke of Clarence (known as Prince Eddy), second in the line of succession after his father, Queen Victoria’s eldest son, the future King Edward VII. Prince Eddy died at age 28 after becoming ill with influenza and developing pneumonia. King Edward VII and his wife Queen Alexandra and King George V and his wife Queen Mary were interred in tombs with effigies in the aisles of the chapel.

King George VI Memorial Chapel; Credit – The Royal Family Facebook page

In 1969, construction was completed on an addition to St. George’s Chapel, the King George VI Memorial Chapel. King George VI, whose coffin had been in the Royal Vault since his death in 1952, was transferred there in 1969. His wife Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother and the ashes of his daughter Princess Margaret were interred there in 2002.  In 2022, King George VI’s daughter and successor Queen Elizabeth II was interred in the King George VI Memorial Chapel. The coffin of her husband Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh who died in 2021, had been temporarily interred in the Royal Vault at St. George’s Chapel and was moved to the King George Memorial Chapel at the time of the burial of Queen Elizabeth II.

Royal Christenings at St. George’s Chapel – Reign of Queen Victoria and Later

Christening of The Prince of Wales by George Hayter, 1842; Credit – Wikipedia

For the most part, royal christenings prior to the reign of Queen Victoria were small events, often held at home. During the reign of Queen Victoria, christenings were usually held at The Private Chapel at Windsor Castle or Private Chapel at Buckingham Palace. Christenings of members of the House of Windsor have been also held at intimate settings, mostly palace chapels, including the Private Chapel in Windsor Castle, the Private Chapel at Buckingham Palace, the Music Room at Buckingham Palace, the Chapel Royal in St James’s Palace, and St. Mary Magdalene Church in Sandringham. From the reign of Queen Victoria and later, only three christenings were held at a large church, St. George’s Chapel.

Royal Weddings at St. George’s Chapel – Reign of Queen Victoria and Later

Wedding of The Prince of Wales and Princess Alexandra of Denmark, painting by William Frith, circa 1865, Queen Victoria can be seen standing in the Royal Closet in the top right; Credit – Wikipedia

During the reign of Queen Victoria, we start to see royal weddings at St. George’s Chapel. In 1863, the wedding of Queen Victoria’s eldest son and heir, the future King Edward VII of the United Kingdom, and Princess Alexandra of Denmark would be the first royal wedding held at St. George’s Chapel, a tradition that has continued to this day for many members of the British Royal Family.

Royal Funerals at St. George’s Chapel – Reign of King George III and Later

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Funeral of King George V: His coffin has just been lowered into the Royal Vault

Since the reign of the House of Hanover, St. George’s Chapel has become the usual place for funerals of the British royal family. King George III, King George IV, King William IV, Queen Victoria, King Edward VII, King George V, King Edward VIII (as Duke of Windsor), and King George VI all had funerals at St. George’s Chapel.

Royal Burials at St. George’s Chapel

Tomb of King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra on the south side of the altar; Photo Credit – https://www.royalcollection.org.uk/collection/606282/tomb-of-king-edward-vii-and-queen-alexandra

  • 1471 – King Henry VI: interred in a tomb on the south side of the altar
  • 1479 – George Plantagenet, 1st Duke of Bedford, son of King Edward IV: died in early childhood, interred on the north side of altar near his parents’ tomb
  • 1482 – Mary of York, daughter of King Edward IV: died at age 14, interred on the north side of altar near her parents’ tomb
  • 1483 – King Edward IV: interred in a tomb on the north side of the altar
  • 1492 – Elizabeth Woodville, Queen of England, wife of King Edward IV: interred with her husband
  • 1537 – Jane Seymour, Queen of England, third wife of King Henry VIII: interred in the small vault in the Quire of St. George’s Chapel
  • 1547 – King Henry VIII: interred in the small vault in the Quire of St. George’s Chapel
  • 1649 – King Charles I: interred in the small vault in the Quire of St. George’s Chapel
  • 1698 – Stillborn son of Queen Anne: interred in the small vault in the Quire of St. George’s Chapel
  • 1805 – Prince William, Duke of Gloucester, brother of King George III: interred in the Gloucester Vault on the south side of the Quire
  • 1807 – Maria, Duchess of Gloucester (born Maria Walpole), wife of Prince William, Duke of Gloucester: interred in the Gloucester Vault on the south side of the Quire
  • 1810 – Princess Amelia, daughter of King George III: interred in the Royal Vault
  • 1813 – Princess Augusta, Duchess of Brunswick-Wolfenbuttel, sister of King George III: interred in the Royal Vault
  • 1817 – Princess Charlotte of Wales, daughter of The Prince of Wales, the future King George IV: interred in the Royal Vault
  • 1817 – Stillborn son of Princess Charlotte of Wales: interred in the Royal Vault
  • 1818 – Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, Queen of the United Kingdom, wife of King George III: interred in the Royal Vault
  • 1818 – Stillborn daughter of Prince Ernest Augustus, son of King George III: interred in the Royal Vault
  • 1820 – Prince Edward, Duke of Kent, son of King George III and father of Queen Victoria: interred in the Royal Vault
  • 1820 – King George III: interred in the Royal Vault
  • 1820 (interred) – Prince Alfred, son of King George III: died 1782 in early childhood, first interred at Westminster Abbey, transferred to the Royal Vault in 1820 at the time of his father’s death
  • 1820 (interred) – Prince Octavius, son of King George III: died 1783 in early childhood, first interred at Westminster Abbey, transferred to the Royal Vault in 1820 at the time of his father’s death
  • 1821 – Princess Elizabeth of Clarence, daughter of Prince William, Duke of Clarence (the future King William IV): died in infancy, interred in the Royal Vault
  • 1827 – Prince Frederick, Duke of York, son of King George III: interred in the Royal Vault
  • 1830 – King George IV: interred in the Royal Vault
  • 1832 – Princess Louise of Saxe-Weimar, 15-year-old niece of Queen Adelaide: interred in the Royal Vault
  • 1834 – Prince William Frederick, Duke of Gloucester, nephew and son-in-law of King George III: interred in the Gloucester Vault on the south side of the Quire
  • 1837 – King William IV: interred in the Royal Vault
  • 1840 – Princess Sophia, daughter of King George III: interred in the Royal Vault
  • 1844 – Princess Sophia of Gloucester, great-granddaughter of King George II and niece of King George III: interred in the Gloucester Vault on the south side of the Quire
  • 1849 – Adelaide of Saxe-Meiningen, Queen of the United Kingdom, wife of King William IV: interred in the Royal Vault
  • 1857 – Princess Mary, Duchess of Gloucester, daughter of King George III and wife of Prince William, Duke of Gloucester: interred in the Gloucester Vault on the south side of the Quire
  • 1876 – Prince Harald of Schleswig-Holstein, son of Princess Helena and grandson of Queen Victoria: lived only eight days, interred in the Royal Vault
  • 1878 – King George V of Hanover, grandson of King George III: interred in the Royal Vault
  • 1881 – Victoria von Pawel Rammingen, daughter of Princess Frederica of Hanover: interred in the Royal Vault
  • 1884 – Prince Leopold, Duke of Albany, son of Queen Victoria: first interred in the Royal Vault, transferred to Albert Memorial Chapel in 1885
  • 1892 – Prince Albert Victor, Duke of Clarence, elder son of The Prince of Wales, later King Edward VII: first interred in the Royal Vault, transferred to the Albert Memorial Chapel
  • 1897 – Princess Mary Adelaide, Duchess of Teck, granddaughter of King George III and mother of Queen Mary: interred in the Royal Vault
  • 1900 – Prince Francis, Duke of Teck, husband of Prince Mary Adelaide, father of Queen Mary: interred in the Royal Vault
  • 1910 – King Edward VII: first interred in the Royal Vault, later interred in a sarcophagus on the south side of the altar
  • 1925 – Alexandra of Denmark, Queen of the United Kingdom, wife of King Edward VII: first interred in the Royal Vault, later interred in a sarcophagus on the south side of the altar
  • 1926 – Princess Frederika of Hanover, daughter of King George V of Hanover and wife of Baron Alfons von Pawel-Rammingen: interred in the Royal Vault
  • 1930 (interred) – Prince Adolphus, Duke of Cambridge, son of King George III and grandfather of Queen Mary: died 1850, first interred at St. Anne’s Church in Kew, London, transferred to the Royal Vault in 1930
  • 1930 (interred) – Princess Augusta, Duchess of Cambridge, wife of Prince Adolphus, Duke of Cambridge and grandmother of Queen Mary: died 1889, first interred at St. Anne’s Church in Kew, London, transferred to the Royal Vault in 1930
  • 1936 – King George V: first interred in the Royal Vault, later interred in a sarcophagus in the North Nave Aisle in 1939
  • 1952 – King George VI: first interred in the Royal Vault, transferred to the King George VI Memorial Chapel in 1969
  • 1953 – Victoria Mary of Teck, Queen Mary of the United Kingdom, wife of King George V: first interred in the Royal Vault, later interred in a sarcophagus in the North Nave Aisle
  • 2002 – Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, wife of King George VI: interred in the King George VI Memorial Chapel
  • 2002 – Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon, daughter of King George VI: ashes first interred in the Royal Vault February 15, 2002, transferred to the King George VI Memorial Chapel April 9, 2002, at the time of her mother’s burial
  • 2021 – Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, husband of Queen Elizabeth II: interred in the Royal Vault April 17, 2021.
  • 2022 – Queen Elizabeth II: interred September 19, 2022 in the King George VI Memorial Chapel. At the same time, the coffin of her husband Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh was transferred from the Royal Vault and also interred in the King George VI Memorial Chapel.

Temporary Royal Burials at St. George’s Chapel

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A view inside the Royal Vault at St. George’s Chapel – the bench in the middle was used as a temporary place for coffins waiting to be interred elsewhere

Frogmore within the grounds of the Home Park, adjacent to Windsor Castle, is the site of three burial places of the British Royal Family: the Royal Mausoleum containing the tombs of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, the Duchess of Kent’s Mausoleum where Queen Victoria’s mother Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, Duchess of Kent is interred and the Royal Burial Ground.

Since its consecration on October 23, 1928, most members of the British Royal Family except for monarchs and their spouses have been buried at the Royal Burial Ground. Some royal family members who had previously been interred in the Royal Vault at St. George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle were transferred to the Royal Burial Ground shortly after its consecration, freeing up some burial space in the Royal Vault. Other royal family members were temporarily interred in the Royal Vault at St. George’s Chapel for various reasons and then interred at a later date at the Royal Burial Ground.

  • 1861 – Princess Victoria, Duchess of Kent, mother of Queen Victoria, first interred in the entrance to the Royal Vault, transferred to her mausoleum, Frogmore later in 1861
  • 1861 – Prince Albert, The Prince Consort, husband of Queen Victoria: first interred in the entrance to the Royal Vault, transferred to the Royal Mausoleum, Frogmore in 1862
  • 1901 – Queen Victoria: placed in the Albert Memorial Chapel for two days, then transferred to Royal Mausoleum, Frogmore
  • 1910 – Prince Francis of Teck, brother of Queen Mary:  first interred in the Royal Vault, transferred to the Royal Burial Ground, Frogmore in 1928
  • 1912 – Alexander Duff, 1st Duke of Fife, husband of Louise, Princess Royal, Duchess of Fife: first interred in the Royal Vault, transferred to Private Chapel, Mar Lodge Mausoleum in Braemar, Aberdeenshire, Scotland later in 1912
  • 1917 – Louise Margaret of Prussia, Duchess of Connaught, wife of Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught: the first member of the Royal Family to be cremated, ashes first buried in the Royal Vault, transferred to the Royal Burial Ground, Frogmore in 1928
  • 1917 – Prince Christian of Schleswig-Holstein, husband of Princess Helena: first interred in the Royal Vault, transferred to the Royal Burial Ground, Frogmore in 1928
  • 1922 – Lord Leopold Mountbatten, son of Princess Beatrice, grandson of Queen Victoria: first interred in the Royal Vault, transferred to the Royal Burial Ground, Frogmore in 1928
  • 1923 – Princess Helena, daughter of Queen Victoria: first interred in the Royal Vault, transferred to the Royal Burial Ground, Frogmore in 1928
  • 1927 – Adolphus Cambridge, 1st Marquess of Cambridge, brother of Queen Mary: first interred in the Royal Vault, transferred to the Royal Burial Ground, Frogmore in 1928
  • 1928 – Rupert Cambridge, Viscount Trematon, son of Alexander Cambridge, 1st Earl of Athlone (brother of Queen Mary), and Princess Alice of Albany, Countess of Athlone (daughter of Prince Leopold): first interred in the Royal Vault, transferred to the Royal Burial Ground, Frogmore in 1928
  • 1931 – Louise, Princess Royal, Duchess of Fife, daughter of King Edward VII: first interred in the Royal Vault, transferred to Private Chapel, Mar Lodge Mausoleum in Braemar, Aberdeenshire, Scotland later in 1931
  • 1935 – Princess Victoria, daughter of King Edward VII: first interred in the Royal Vault, transferred to Royal Burial Ground, Frogmore in 1936
  • 1938 – Prince Arthur of Connaught, son of Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught: first interred in the Royal Vault, transferred to Royal Burial Ground, Frogmore in 1939
  • 1939 – Princess Louise, Duchess of Argyll, daughter of Queen Victoria: ashes first interred in the Royal Vault, transferred to Royal Burial Ground, Frogmore in 1940
  • 1942 – Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught, son of Queen Victoria: first interred in the Royal Vault, transferred to Royal Burial Ground, Frogmore in 1942, two months later
  • 1942 – Prince George, Duke of Kent, son of King George V: first interred in the Royal Vault, transferred to Royal Burial Ground, Frogmore in 1968, the day before the burial of his wife Princess Marina, Duchess of Kent
  • 1944 – Princess Beatrice, daughter of Queen Victoria: first interred in the Royal Vault, transferred to Whippingham Church, Isle of Wight in 1945
  • 1948 – Princess Helena Victoria, daughter of Princess Helena, granddaughter of Queen Victoria: first interred in the Royal Vault, transferred to Royal Burial Ground, Frogmore later in 1948
  • 1956 – Princess Marie Louise, daughter of Princess Helena, granddaughter of Queen Victoria: first interred in the Royal Vault, transferred to Royal Burial Ground, Frogmore later in 1957
  • 1957 – Alexander Cambridge, 1st Earl of Athlone, husband of Princess Alice of Albany and brother of Queen Mary: first interred in the Royal Vault, transferred to Royal Burial Ground, Frogmore later in 1957
  • 1969 – Princess Andrew of Greece, born Princess Alice of Battenberg, great-granddaughter of Queen Victoria and mother of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh: first interred in the Royal Vault, transferred to the Convent of Saint Mary Magdalene on the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem in 1988

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Works Cited

  • College of St George. 2021. College of St George – Windsor Castle – Home. [online] Available at: <https://www.stgeorges-windsor.org/> [Accessed 15 May 2021].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2021. St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St_George%27s_Chapel,_Windsor_Castle> [Accessed 15 May 2021].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2021. State funerals in the United Kingdom – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/State_funerals_in_the_United_Kingdom> [Accessed 15 May 2021].
  • Flantzer, Susan, 2018. St. George’s Chapel, Windsor: Royal Burials. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/st-georges-chapel-windsor-royal-burials/> [Accessed 15 May 2021].
  • 1989. St. George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle. North Way: Pitkin Pictorials Ltd.

Royal Chapel of All Saints in Windsor, England

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2021

By Wilfridselsey – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=56272459

The Royal Chapel of All Saints is located on the grounds of Royal Lodge in the 5,000-acre Windsor Great Park in Windsor, England. Windsor Great Park was the private hunting ground of Windsor Castle for many centuries. The chapel is a Royal Peculiar, a Church of England parish or church that is under the direct jurisdiction of the monarch rather than a bishop. It serves as an informal parish church for the residents and staff of Windsor Great Park. Services at the chapel are often attended by members of the British Royal family, and Queen Elizabeth II regularly worshiped at the Royal Chapel of All Saints for reasons of privacy.

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The Earl and Countess of Wessex and their daughter Lady Louise Mountbatten-Windsor attended Sunday services at the Royal Chapel of All Saints two days after the death of The Duke of Edinburgh

The decision to build a new chapel came when the small chapels at Royal Lodge and Cumberland Lodge in Windsor Great Park could no longer accommodate the royal occupants and their growing royal household staff. The Royal Chapel of All Saints was designed by Jeffry Wyatville, an English architect and garden designer, and then built on the site of a porter’s lodge. First used on Palm Sunday in 1825, the Royal Chapel of All Saints is located less than a hundred yards from Royal Lodge. In contrast to St. George’s Chapel at Windsor, the Royal Chapel of All Saints Chapel is simpler and more intimate, with a maximum capacity of 180 people.

King George IV resided at Royal Lodge during the refurbishment of Windsor Castle in the 1820s and regularly worshipped at the Royal Chapel of All Saints. In the 1860s, Queen Victoria had the chapel remodeled in the Gothic Revival style with the design by Samuel Sanders Teulon and Anthony Salvin. The renovations included a new chancel and an east window in memory of Queen Victoria’s mother, the Duchess of Kent. Queen Victoria often attended services at the chapel.

In 1905, a window was dedicated at the Royal Chapel of All Saints in memory of Prince Christian Victor of Schleswig-Holstein, the son of Princess Helena, daughter of Queen Victoria, and Prince Christian of Schleswig-Holstein. While serving during the Boer War in 1900, Prince Christian Victor died of enteric fever in Pretoria, South African Republic, also known as the Transvaal Republic, now in South Africa. His parents lived at the nearby Cumberland Lodge

In 1931, King George V granted Royal Lodge to the Duke and Duchess of York (later King George VI and Queen Elizabeth) as a country house. The Duke and Duchess of York attended services at the nearby Royal Chapel of All Saints along with their young daughters, the future Queen Elizabeth II and Princess Margaret. They continued to visit the chapel after they became King George VI and Queen Elizabeth II. After the death of King George VI in 1952, Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother continued to use Royal Lodge as a country house until her death. She enjoyed spending time at the chapel which was just a short distance from her home.

Recent Royal Events

The Royal Chapel, Windsor Great Park by Sir Hugh Casson, 1990; Credit – Royal Collection Trust

Resting of Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother’s Coffin

The Queen Mother’s coffin at rest in the Royal Chapel of All Saints; Credit – https://img.17qq.com/images/gmmodpgmcpv.jpeg

The coffin of Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother rested at the Royal Chapel of All Saints from March 31, 2002 until April 1, 2002 when her coffin was taken to London. The Queen Mother died on March 30, 2002, at Royal Lodge, her home in Windsor Great Park. Walking behind The Queen Mother’s coffin as it was carried the short distance from Royal Lodge to the Royal Chapel of All Saints were three members of her staff dressed in black livery. One staff member carried a potted jasmine, an Easter gift from King Charles III, then the Prince of Wales, to his grandmother. Later in the day, Queen Elizabeth II and members of the royal family attended a prayer service at the Royal Chapel of All Saints. The Queen Mother’s coffin, draped in her royal standard and adorned with a wreath of pink camellias, rested before the altar.

Wedding of Princess Beatrice of York and Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi

Photo Credit – https://www.instagram.com/theroyalfamily/ Photograph by Benjamin Wheeler

On Friday, July 17, 2020, Princess Beatrice of York married Mr. Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi in a small private ceremony held at the Royal Chapel of All Saints Chapel. There were approximately twenty guests including the bride and groom’s parents and siblings, and the bride’s paternal grandparents, Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. The wedding took place following all relevant government COVID-19 guidelines. Originally scheduled to take place on May 29, 2020, at the Chapel Royal at St James’s Palace in London, England, followed by a private reception in the gardens of Buckingham Palace, the wedding was postponed and the original plans modified because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Works Cited

  • En.wikipedia.org. 2021. Royal Chapel of All Saints – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Chapel_of_All_Saints> [Accessed 8 May 2021].
  • Heychurches.co.uk. 2021. Royal Chapel of All Saints « HEYCHURCHES.CO.UK. [online] Available at: <https://heychurches.co.uk/02169082/Royal_Chapel_of_All_Saints> [Accessed 8 May 2021].
  • Royal Lodge Chapel of All Saints, W., 2021. Royal Lodge Chapel of All Saints, Windsor Great Park, Windsor: perspective view with deer shown grazing in the foreground | RIBA. [online] RIBApix. Available at: <https://www.architecture.com/image-library/RIBApix/image-information/poster/royal-lodge-chapel-of-all-saints-windsor-great-park-windsor-perspective-view-with-deer-shown-grazing/posterid/RIBA32113.html> [Accessed 8 May 2021].
  • The Guardian. 2002. Gun salutes honour Queen Mother. [online] Available at: <https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2002/apr/01/queenmother.monarchy5> [Accessed 8 May 2021].
  • Town & Country. 2020. Where Did Princess Beatrice and Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi Get Married?. [online] Available at: <https://www.townandcountrymag.com/society/tradition/a33348976/princess-beatrice-edoardo-mapelli-mozzi-wedding-venue-royal-chapel-all-saints/> [Accessed 8 May 2021].

Queen’s Chapel at St. James’s Palace in London, England

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2021

Queen’s Chapel, St James’s Palace; Credit – By Steve Cadman – https://www.flickr.com/photos/stevecadman/411794867/, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=50925591

The Queen’s Chapel is located on Marlborough Road which runs between The Mall and Pall Mall in London. It is across from St. James’s Palace, adjacent to Marlborough House, and a very short distance from Buckingham Palace. The Queen’s Chapel is a royal peculiar, a Church of England parish or church under the direct jurisdiction of the monarch rather than the jurisdiction of a bishop.

The Queen’s Chapel was begun in 1623, as a consequence of the proposed marriage between Charles, Prince of Wales, the future King Charles I of England and son of King James I of England, and Infanta Maria Anna of Spain, daughter of King Felipe III of Spain. In 1622, King James I received an offer of marriage from King Felipe IV of Spain, brother of Maria Anna, to strengthen the relations between England and Spain. Active marriage negotiations began but ultimately Maria Anna did not wish to marry a Protestant and Charles would not convert to Catholicism. Officially, the wedding never took place due to political reasons and because of the reluctance of King Felipe IV to make a dynastic marriage with the House of Stuart.

Inigo Jones, the architect of the Queen’s Chapel; Credit – Wikipedia

Since England was Protestant, Maria Anna would have needed a Roman Catholic chapel for worship, and so planning for a chapel accessible from St. James’s Palace in London began during the marriage negotiations. Special dispensation was given to construct the chapel as at that time the construction of Roman Catholic churches was prohibited in England. The Queen’s Chapel was designed by Inigo Jones, the first significant English architect of the early modern period. Parts of the design for the Queen’s Chapel were inspired by the Pantheon of ancient Rome and Jones intended the church to evoke the Roman temple. The foundation stone was laid on May 30, 1623.

Henrietta Maria of France, Queen of England; Credit – Wikipedia

While King Charles I did not marry Infanta Maria Anna of Spain, he did marry another Roman Catholic princess, Henrietta Maria of France, the youngest of the six children of King Henri IV of France and his second wife Marie de’ Medici, and the sister of King Louis XIII of France. In 1625, Henrietta Maria arrived in England with over 400 attendants including 29 priests and a bishop. Parliament was outraged to discover that secret terms of the marriage contract permitted the daily celebration of the Catholic Mass. Charles I insisted on the rapid completion of the Queen’s Chapel to accommodate Henrietta Maria’s religious needs.

During the English Civil War (1642–1651), Parliament passed an ordinance demanding that the Royal Chapels be “cleansed from all Popish Reliques and superstitions.” The Queen’s Chapel was looted and much of the interior suffered damage. During the Commonwealth of England (1649 – 1660), when England was governed as a republic, the Queen’s Chapel was used as a stable.

Catherine of Braganza, Queen of England; Credit – Wikipedia

in 1660, upon the Restoration of the monarchy, the son of the beheaded King Charles I returned to England to reign as King Charles II of England. The Roman Catholic Catherine of Braganza, daughter of King João IV of Portugal, had first been suggested as a bride for the future King Charles II in 1645 during the reign of Charles II’s father King Charles I of England, and again in 1660 when the monarchy was restored in England. Already there were rumors of Catherine’s inability to have children – her marriage to Charles II turned out to be childless – but the newly restored King Charles II was eager to have her £300,000 dowry. Catherine arrived in England in 1662. According to the marriage treaty, Catherine was to be provided with “a private Chapel in her residence with the right to practice her Catholic religion,” and Charles II commenced work on the restoration of the Queen’s Chapel for Catherine’s use.

Maria Beatrice of Modena, Queen of England; Credit – Wikipedia

King Charles II’s brother, James, Duke of York, the future King James II of England, had secretly converted to Catholicism sometime after his first marriage to Anne Hyde who had also converted to Catholicism. After Anne’s death in 1671, King Charles II allowed his brother James to make a second marriage with the fifteen-year-old Catholic Maria Beatrice of Modena in 1673. Maria Beatrice’s deeply pious Catholicism could be expressed within the seclusion of the Queen’s Chapel where she and her husband James could practice their Roman Catholicism without public scrutiny. When the childless Charles II died in 1685, his brother succeeded him as King James II of England.

The Queen’s Chapel in 1688; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1688, the Catholic King James II was overthrown in the Glorious Revolution. He was replaced by his Protestant daughter Mary from his first marriage and her Protestant husband and first cousin Willem III, Prince of Orange who reigned jointly as King William III and Queen Mary II. Almost immediately, the Queen’s Chapel was purged of all traces of Roman Catholicism. The interior was stripped of its statues, relics, side altars, and paintings. William and Mary were unsure what to do with the Queen’s Chapel. They may have considered its demolition or its conversion to another purpose. Ultimately, it was decided to grant the use of the Queen’s Chapel to French Protestants who had settled in London to escape religious persecution in France.

The German Chapel in 1819; Credit – Wikipedia

By 1781, there was no longer a need for a French Protestant chapel. Instead, a group of Hanoverian Lutherans whose families had come from Hanover when King George I became king was granted the use of the Queen’s Chapel. The name of the chapel changed to the German Chapel.

In 1809, a fire destroyed the royal apartments adjacent to the German Chapel. Instead of rebuilding the royal apartments, King George III decided to connect Pall Mall with The Mall by building Marlborough Road right through the site of the destroyed royal apartments. This cut off the chapel from St. James’s Palace and placed a physical barrier, Marlborough Road,  between the royal residence and the chapel. The chapel now appeared to be connected not to St. James’s Palace but rather to Marlborough House, the London townhouse of the Dukes of Marlborough.

Alexandra of Denmark, Princess of Wales, later Queen Alexandra; Credit – Wikipedia

The German Chapel continued to exist under the patronage of Queen Victoria’s husband Prince Albert, born a Prince of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, now in Germany, but this lasted only until Prince Albert died in 1861. After the death of George Spencer, 4th Duke of Marlborough in 1817, the ownership of Marlborough House had been taken over by The Crown. After their marriage in 1861, The Prince of Wales (the future King Edward VII) and his Danish wife Princess Alexandra made Marlborough House their home. Because the Queen’s Chapel was so close to Marlborough House, Alexandra used it as a private chapel. After 1881, the Queen’s Chapel became a Danish community church. After Queen Victoria died in 1901, the name of the chapel was changed to the Marlborough House Chapel and the Danish Church had exclusive use.

The chapel was closed in 1938 for its first major restoration since William III and Mary II had purged its Catholic past. The original name, the Queen’s Chapel, was restored in 1939. Restoration work stopped during World War II and was not fully completed until 1951. Although used regularly for weekly Sunday services for the public from Easter until October, the Queen’s Chapel no longer plays a major role in the life of the British royal family.

Recent Royal Events

Queen Elizabeth II after the funeral service for Margaret (Bobo) MacDonald

Margaret “Bobo” MacDonald, who died on September 22, 1993, was a member of the royal household since 1930 and was the nanny, dresser, and confidante of Queen Elizabeth II. From 1930 onward, Bobo was closer to Elizabeth than anyone outside her family. In her later years, Bobo held a unique position in Buckingham Palace. She had her own suite, no duties, and enjoyed a closer personal friendship with Queen Elizabeth II than nearly anyone else, including some of the members of the royal family. She was given a funeral on September 30, 1993, at the Queen’s Chapel attended by Queen Elizabeth II.

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The coffin of Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon lying in rest at the Queen’s Chapel

Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon, daughter of King George VI and sister of Queen Elizabeth II: After her death at King Edward VII’s Hospital, London, on February 9, 2002, Princess Margaret’s coffin was initially taken to Kensington Palace. Her coffin then rested at the Queen’s Chapel February 12, 2002 – February 14, 2002, to enable her family and friends to pay their respects privately before the coffin was transferred to St. George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle for the funeral.

The Sub-Dean of the Chapels Royal, Reverend Willie Booth, kneels in prayer at the coffin of Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother in the Queen’s Chapel

Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, wife of King George VI and mother of Queen Elizabeth II: After her death on March 30, 2002, at her home, Royal Lodge in Windsor Great Park, her coffin rested in the Royal Chapel of All Saints, Windsor Great Park until April 2, 2002, when it was taken to the Queen’s Chapel at St. James’s Palace where it rested to enable members of the royal family to their respects privately before the coffin was transferred to lie in state at Westminster Hall on April 5, 2002.

Alexander Windsor, Earl of Ulster and his bride leave the Queen’s Chapel after their wedding

Alexander Windsor, Earl of Ulster, son of Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester, married Claire Alexandra Booth on June 22, 2002, at the Queen’s Chapel

Lady Rose Windsor and her husband leave the Queen’s Chapel after their wedding

Lady Rose Windsor, daughter of Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester, married George Gilman on July 19, 2008, at the Queen’s Chapel

Works Cited

  • En.wikipedia.org. 2021. Queen’s Chapel – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queen%27s_Chapel> [Accessed 1 May 2021].
  • Leyden, Kyle, 2015. Consorting with the Enemy: The Queen’s Chapel at St James’s Palace. [online] VITRUVIUS HIBERNICUS. Available at: <https://kyleleyden.wordpress.com/2015/01/24/consorting-with-the-enemy-the-queens-chapel-at-st-jamess-palace/> [Accessed 1 May 2021].
  • Timms, Elizabeth, 2018. The Queen’s Chapel, St James’s. [online] Royal Central. Available at: <https://royalcentral.co.uk/features/the-queens-chapel-st-jamess-102570/> [Accessed 1 May 2021].
  • Unofficial Royalty. 2021. Unofficial Royalty. [online] Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/> [Accessed 1 May 2021]. (various articles)

Private Chapel at Windsor Castle in Windsor, England

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2021

The original Private Chapel at Windsor Castle, lithograph by Joseph Nash, 1848; Credit – Wikipedia

The original octagonal-shaped Private Chapel at Windsor Castle was created for Queen Victoria by architect Edward Blore in the 1840s. It had previously been a music room, with an intricately carved screen separating it from St. George’s Hall. The Private Chapel had niches with marble sculptures, pews, and a large Gothic chandelier hanging from the ceiling. Some of Queen Victoria’s children were christened and confirmed there, her daughter Helena was married there, and Queen Victoria regularly worshipped there.

Windsor Castle on fire; Credit – www.windsorexpress.co.uk

On November 20, 1992, at 11:33 AM, a fire began in the Private Chapel at Windsor Castle when a spotlight left too close to curtains by a painter, ignited the curtains. The location of the fire was shown on a map of the castle by an indicator light and the chief officer of the castle’s fire brigade immediately sounded the public fire alarm. The fire was initially in the Brunswick Tower, but soon many other indicator bulbs lit up, as the fire spread to neighboring rooms, including the Windsor Castle State Apartments which are the rooms the public is allowed to visit. By 12:20 PM, the fire had spread to St. George’s Hall, built in the 1360s and the largest of the State Apartments, and the roof of St. George’s Hall would later collapse.

Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh chaired the Restoration Committee. The restoration of the damaged areas took five years and was completed six months ahead of schedule on November 20, 1997, exactly five years after the fire and on the 50th wedding anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II and The Duke of Edinburgh, at a cost of £37 million (US $59.2 million), £3 million below budget. Queen Elizabeth II personally contributed £2 million towards the restoration. 70% of the cost of restoration was to be met by charging the public an entry fee to the Windsor Castle precincts, and for an admission fee to Buckingham Palace. Buckingham Palace had never been open to the public. Since 1993, it has been open during August and September and on some dates throughout the year.

The original Private Chapel was irreparable, and a plaque now marks the place where the fire started. The Lantern Lobby was created in the space where the original Private Chapel had previously stood, creating a formal passageway between the State Apartments and the private apartments.

 

The area where the new Private Chapel (artist’s drawing above) was created previously was a passageway between the public and private areas of Windsor Castle. It is much smaller than the original Private Chapel and has a capacity of only thirty people. Instead of pews, red giltwood chairs, originally commissioned by King George IV for the state dining room, are used. The new altar was made by Queen Elizabeth II’s nephew David Armstrong-Jones, 2nd Earl of Snowdon who is a furniture designer and maker. In a clip from the BBC documentary The Duke: In His Own Words, Prince Philip shows a camera crew around the Private Chapel in Windsor Castle where his coffin rested before his funeral. The clip can be seen in the link below.

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The stained glass window in the restored Private Chapel is based on an idea by the Duke of Edinburgh

Royal Events at the Private Chapel at Windsor Castle

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The christening of Queen Victoria’s son Prince Alfred

In addition to the events listed below, there were a number of confirmations, particularly of Queen Victoria’s children and grandchildren, held at the Private Chapel at Windsor Castle. Queen Elizabeth II and her eldest two children, King Charles III and Princess Anne, were also confirmed there.

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Works Cited

  • Flantzer, Susan, 2019. British Royal Christenings: House of Windsor. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/house-of-windsor-christenings/> [Accessed 25 April 2021].
  • Flantzer, Susan, 2019. British Royal Christenings: Queen Victoria, Prince Albert, Their Children, and Select Grandchildren. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/christenings-of-queen-victoria-prince-albert-their-children-and-select-grandchildren/> [Accessed 25 April 2021].
  • Flantzer, Susan, 2013. November 20, 1992 – Fire seriously damages Windsor Castle. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/november-20-1992-fire-seriously-damages-windsor-castle/> [Accessed 28 April 2021].
  • Flood, Rebecca, 2021. Inside the private chapel at Windsor Castle where Archie Harrison is due to be christened in top-secret ceremony. [online] The Sun. Available at: <https://www.thesun.co.uk/fabulous/9450387/archie-harrison-christening-chapel-windsor-castle-meghan-markle-prince-harry/> [Accessed 28 April 2021].
  • HELLO!. 2021. Prince Philip designed Queen’s private chapel where his coffin has been resting. [online] Available at: <https://www.hellomagazine.com/royalty/20210417111237/prince-philip-coffin-lying-in-rest-private-chapel-windsor-castle-he-designed/> [Accessed 28 April 2021].
  • Hill, Ben, 2021. Philip gives tour of private chapel at Windsor where he lies before funeral. [online] The US Sun. Available at: <https://www.the-sun.com/news/2697086/prince-philip-tour-private-chapel-windsor-castle/> [Accessed 28 April 2021].
  • Royal Collection Trust. 2021. The fire at Windsor Castle. [online] Available at: <https://www.rct.uk/visit/windsor-castle/the-fire-at-windsor-castle#/> [Accessed 28 April 2021].

Private Chapel at Buckingham Palace in London, England

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2021

Embed from Getty ImagesThe colorful explanations make sure that your attention stays gripped by the subject matter and interactive learning makes the areas under discussion, very easy to get the coveted medicine in cheap and get cured of your impotence with overnight cheap viagra . He asked viagra cheap no prescription them to choose one of 5 activities that are known to correlate with positive change. If any of these symptoms persist for a long time then you must pay a visit to the website for the medicine for order cheap viagra. So, drink pomegranate juice regularly to get risk viagra mastercard india free enhancement in power.
The original Private Chapel at Buckingham Palace, circa 1910-1911

The building at the core of today’s Buckingham Palace was originally Buckingham House, a large townhouse built for John Sheffield, 1st Duke of Buckingham in 1703. It was acquired by King George III in 1761 as a private residence for his wife Queen Charlotte and became known as The Queen’s House. During the 19th century, it was enlarged by John Nash, one of the foremost architects of the Regency and Georgian eras, and then by Edward Blore, a landscape and building architect.

The original Private Chapel at Buckingham Palace was created for Queen Victoria in what had originally been a conservatory. Queen Victoria disliked the octagonal chapel that had formerly been one of King George III’s libraries. Edward Blore was commissioned to convert one of the conservatories created by John Nash into a chapel. The roof had to be raised and many alterations were needed. In 1843, William Howley, Archbishop of Canterbury consecrated the new Private Chapel at Buckingham Palace.

Buckingham Palace: The Private Chapel 1843-4 by Douglas Morrison; Credit – Royal Collection Trust

The purpose of a Private Chapel is to provide a place for members of the royal family to worship when in residence. During the reign of Queen Victoria, six of her nine children and one of her grandchildren were christened at the Private Chapel at Buckingham Palace, and during the reign of King George V, four of his grandchildren were also christened there. In addition, several royal weddings were held at the Private Chapel.

During World War II, one non-British, but royal christening, was held at the Private Chapel at Buckingham Palace. On May 10, 1940, the German army invaded the Netherlands. A few days later, the Dutch royal family fled to London. Princess Irene, born on August 5, 1939, the second of four daughters of the future Queen Juliana of the Netherlands and Prince Bernhard of Lippe-Biesterfeld, had yet to be christened. King George VI and his wife Queen Elizabeth arranged for Princess Irene to be christened on May 31, 1940, the same day as her christening had been scheduled in the Netherlands, in the Private Chapel at Buckingham Palace in London, with Queen Elizabeth serving as one of Princess Irene’s godparents. Less than four months later, the Private Chapel at Buckingham Palace was destroyed.

King George VI and Queen Elizabeth survey the damage after the September 13, 1940 bombing of Buckingham Palace; Credit – https://www.royal.uk/80th-anniversary-bombing-buckingham-palace-during-blitz

During The Blitz, the German bombing campaign against the United Kingdom during World War II, Buckingham Palace and its grounds were bombed on sixteen separate occasions with nine direct hits. One of those direct hits occurred on September 13, 1940, while King George VI and his wife Queen Elizabeth were in residence. Their daughters Princess Elizabeth and Princess Margaret had been sent to Windsor Castle for their safety. A water main was ruptured, most of the windows on the southern and western sides of Buckingham Palace were blown out, the Private Chapel was destroyed, and four workers were injured with one later dying. Originally, King George VI had wanted the Private Chapel rebuilt but because of all the reconstruction needed in the country after World War II, the plan was shelved.

In 1962, at the suggestion of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, the ruined Private Chapel was redeveloped as a gallery for the Royal Collection. The Queen’s Gallery opened to the public in 1962 to exhibit works of art from the Royal Collection. At that time, a very small Private Chapel was built near The Queen’s Gallery for the royal family’s personal use.

The 1997 renovated Private Chapel at Buckingham Palace; Credit – http://www.johnsimpsonarchitects.com/pa/Buckingham-Palace-cp.html

In 1997, a competition was held for the appointment of an architect (John Simpson Architects Ltd.) to expand and modernize the Queen’s Gallery in honor of Queen Elizabeth II’s Golden Jubilee. At that time, the Private Chapel was renovated in a manner that is reminiscent of architect John Nash’s work.

Since the bombing of the original private chapel in 1940 and the construction (1962) and renovation (1997) of a new private chapel, which is much smaller than the original private chapel, royal christenings occurring at Buckingham Palace have occurred in the larger Music Room. Those christened in the Music Room include Prince Charles, Princess Anne, Prince Andrew, and Prince William.

Christenings at the Private Chapel, Buckingham Palace

The Christening of Prince Arthur in the Private Chapel at Buckingham Palace by Eugene-Louis Lami; Credit – The Royal Collection

Photograph, above, of a painting depicting the christening of Prince Arthur at the Private Chapel at Buckingham Palace. Towards the center of the composition are Prince Albert, Queen Victoria, the Princess Royal, the Prince of Wales, Princess Alice, and Prince Alfred.

(Links are to Unofficial Royalty biography articles.)

Weddings at the Private Chapel, Buckingham Palace

The Marriage of Princess Louise of Wales with the Duke of Fife at Buckingham Palace, 27th July 1889 by Sydney Prior Hall; Credit – Royal Collection Trust

The painting above depicts the couple kneeling at the altar, Behind them, from right to left: The Prince of Wales; Ludwig IV, Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine; Queen Victoria; The Princess of Wales and her brothers King George I of Greece, and Crown Frederik of Denmark

 (Links are to Unofficial Royalty wedding articles.)

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Works Cited

  • En.wikipedia.org. 2021. Buckingham Palace – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buckingham_Palace> [Accessed 25 April 2021].
  • Flantzer, Susan, 2019. British Royal Christenings: House of Windsor. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/house-of-windsor-christenings/> [Accessed 25 April 2021].
  • Flantzer, Susan, 2019. British Royal Christenings: Queen Victoria, Prince Albert, Their Children, and Select Grandchildren. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/christenings-of-queen-victoria-prince-albert-their-children-and-select-grandchildren/> [Accessed 25 April 2021].
  • Flantzer, S., 2012. Weddings of British Monarchs’ Children: Tudors – Windsors. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/royal-weddings/british-royal-weddings/weddings-of-british-monarchs-children/> [Accessed 25 April 2021].
  • Healey, Edna, 1997. The Queen’s House – A Social History of Buckingham Palace. New York: Carroll & Graf Publishers, Inc.
  • Westendatwar.org.uk. 2021. 13 September 1940 | Buckingham Palace | Bomb Incidents | West End at War. [online] Available at: <http://www.westendatwar.org.uk/page_id__39_path__0p2p.aspx> [Accessed 24 April 2021].

Old St. Paul’s Cathedral in London, England

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2021

Model of Old St. Paul’s Cathedral; Credit – By Ben Sutherland – https://www.flickr.com/photos/bensutherland/7083572515, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=51702266

Old St. Paul’s Cathedral stood on the site of the present St. Paul’s Cathedral in London, England until it was severely damaged in the Great Fire of London in 1666. There have been churches and religious communities on the site since Roman times. The first cathedral built on the site dedicated to St. Paul dates from 604. Historians think Old St. Paul’s Cathedral was the fourth church on the site. A major fire occurred in London in 1087, at the beginning of the reign of William II Rufus, King of England. The previous church was the most significant building to be destroyed in the 1087 fire. The fire also damaged the Palatine Tower, built by William I (the Conqueror), King of England on the banks of the River Fleet in London, so badly that the remains had to be pulled down. Part of the stone from the Palatine Tower was then used in the construction of Old St. Paul’s Cathedral.

Work on Old St. Paul’s Cathedral began in 1087 and construction was delayed by another fire in 1135. The cathedral was completed in 1240 and enlarged in 1256 – 1314, although it had been consecrated in 1300. In 1314, Old St. Paul’s Cathedral was the third-longest church in Europe at 586 feet/178 meters. The spire was completed in 1315 and, at 489 feet/149 meters, it was the tallest in Europe at that time. The walls of the cathedral were made of stone. However, the roof was mostly wood because stone would have been too heavy to support. The decision to use wood for the roof would lead to dire consequences in the Great Fire of London in 1666.

1916 engraving of Old St Paul’s as it appeared before the fire of 1561 in which the spire was destroyed; Credit – Wikipedia

By the 16th century, Old St. Paul’s Cathedral was deteriorating. In 1549, radical Protestant preachers incited a mob to destroy much of the cathedral’s interior. The spire caught fire in 1561 and crashed through the nave roof. The roof was repaired but the spire was never rebuilt. In 1621, King James I of England appointed architect Inigo Jones to restore the cathedral but the work stopped during the English Civil War and the Commonwealth of England. In 1660, after the restoration of the monarchy, King Charles II of England gave architect Sir Christopher Wren the job of continuing the restoration of the cathedral. That restoration was in progress when Old St. Paul’s Cathedral was severely damaged in the 1666 Great Fire of London. What remained of Old St. Paul’s Cathedral was demolished, and the present cathedral, designed by Sir Christopher Wren, was built on the site.

Old St. Paul’s Cathedral in flames; Credit – Wikipedia

Royal Events at Old St. Paul’s Cathedral

Richard II, King of England was deposed by his first cousin Henry of Bolingbroke who then reigned as Henry IV, King of England. Held in captivity at Pontefract Castle in Pontefract, West Yorkshire, England, Richard is thought to have starved to death and died on or around February 14, 1400.  Although Henry IV has often been suspected of having Richard murdered, there is no substantial evidence to prove that claim. It can be positively said that Richard did not suffer a violent death. After his death, Richard’s body was put on public display for three days at the Old St. Paul’s Cathedral in London, both to prove to his supporters that he was truly dead and also to prove that he had not suffered a violent death. Whether Richard did indeed starve himself or whether that starvation was forced upon him is still up for speculation.

Richard II’s body is brought to Old St Paul’s Cathedral to let everyone see that he is dead – engraving from A Chronicle of England: B.C. 55 – A.D. 1485 by James William Edmund Doyle (1864); Credit – Wikipedia

English monarchs were often in attendance at the Old St. Paul’s Cathedral, and the court occasionally held sessions there. Arthur, Prince of Wales, son of King Henry VII of England, married Catharine of Aragon at Old St. Paul’s on November 14, 1501. Several kings, including Henry VI, and Henry VII, lay in state in Old St. Paul’s before their funerals at Westminster Abbey.

Royal Burials at Old St. Paul’s Cathedral

Commemoration of those who were buried or memorialized in Old St. Paul’s Cathedral but whose tombs or memorials have not survived; Credit – Wikipedia

Only the monument to poet John Donne survived the 1666 Great Fire of London. No other memorials or tombs of the many famous people buried at Old St. Paul’s Cathedral survived the fire. In 1913, an inscribed stone, set up on a wall in the crypt of the new St. Paul’s Cathedral, lists those known to have tombs or memorials lost in the Great Fire of London, including several royals listed below

Tomb of John of Gaunt and his first wife Blanche of Lancaster, lost in the 1666 Great Fire of London; Credit – Wikipedia

Works Cited

  • Britain Express. 2021. St. Paul’s Cathedral, London – early history. [online] Available at: <https://www.britainexpress.com/London/st-pauls.htm> [Accessed 4 April 2021].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2021. Old St Paul’s Cathedral – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_St_Paul%27s_Cathedral> [Accessed 4 April 2021].
  • Es.wikipedia.org. 2021. Antigua catedral de San Pablo – Wikipedia, la enciclopedia libre. [online] Available at: <https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antigua_catedral_de_San_Pablo> [Accessed 4 April 2021].
  • The Inside Page Ltd, 2004. St Paul’s Cathedral – Official Guide. London: Jerrold Publishing.

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Holyrood Abbey in Edinburgh, Scotland

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2021

The ruins of the abbey church of Holyrood Abbey; Credit – By Brian Holsclaw from Seattle, WA, USA – 20090513_Edinburgh_034Uploaded by Kurpfalzbilder.de, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=9562367

The abbey church of Holyrood Abbey, which this writer has visited, now stands in roofless ruins adjacent to Holyrood Palace in Edinburgh, Scotland. Rood is a word for the cross on which Jesus Christ was crucified and so the name Holyrood is equivalent to Holy Cross. Holyrood Abbey was founded by David I, King of Scots in 1128 as an abbey of the Augustinian Canons Regular. The legend is that David I was inspired to found Holyrood Abbey after seeing a vision of the Holy Cross when attacked by a stag in what is now Holyrood Park.

Holyrood Palace, adjacent to the ruins of the abbey church of Holyrood Abbey; Credit – By XtoF – Own work CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=60549142

The abbey guesthouse was used as an occasional residence by medieval Kings of Scots. When James IV, King of Scots made Edinburgh the undisputed capital of Scotland, the abbey guesthouse was developed into a royal residence, Holyrood Palace or the Palace of Holyroodhouse, and after the Reformation, the palace was further expanded. Today it is the official residence of the British monarch in Scotland.

David I, King of Scots presented the Holyrood Abbey with a relic of the Holy Cross that had belonged to his mother St. Margaret of Scotland, a granddaughter of Edmund II (Ironside), King of England, who held it on her deathbed.  The relic was placed in a golden reliquary and was known as the Black Rood of Scotland. It was removed from Scotland by King Edward I of England in 1296, along with other Scottish treasures including the Stone of Scone. The Black Rood was returned to Scotland in 1328, however, in 1346, following the Battle of Neville’s Cross during the Second War of Scottish Independence, the Black Rood was taken by the English once again. It remained in Durham Cathedral in Durham, England until the English Protestant Reformation when it was presumably destroyed.

The main west door of the abbey church of Holyrood Abbey with part of Holyrood Palace on the right; Credit – © Howard Flantzer

During the Anglo-Scottish Wars in the reign of King Henry VIII of England, the English sacked the abbey causing great damage to the buildings. In 1559, during the Scottish Reformation, the abbey church suffered much damage when a Protestant mob destroyed the altars and looted the rest of the church. In 1569, the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland decided to demolish the east end of the abbey church because of the damage. The abbey church served as the Church of Scotland (Presbyterian) parish church for the Canongate section of Edinburgh. Only the nave was retained, all but two of the windows in the nave were blocked up, and the royal tombs were removed to a new royal burial vault in the south aisle.

In 1687, James VII, King of Scots (also James II, King of England) founded the Order of the Thistle and designated the Holyrood abbey church, where a Presbyterian congregation worshipped, to be the chapel of the new order. The abbey church was converted into a Catholic chapel, as James had converted to Roman Catholicism. A new church, the nearby Canongate Kirk, replaced the abbey church as the local Presbyterian parish church. In 1688, the abbey church was ransacked by a mob, furious with King James’ Roman Catholic allegiance. The Order of the Thistle was left without a chapel until the Thistle Chapel was added to the nearby St. Giles’ Cathedral in 1911.

There was some restoration work done on the abbey church in 1758 – 1760 including the rebuilding of the roof but during a storm in 1768 the roof collapsed, leaving the abbey in its current ruins. Restoration of the abbey church has been proposed several times – in 1835 by architect James Gillespie Graham as a meeting place for the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, and in 1906, as a chapel for the Knights of the Thistle but both proposals were rejected.

The ruins of Holyrood Abbey; Credit – © Susan Flantzer,

Coronations at Holyrood Abbey

Most Scottish coronations took place at Scone Abbey or Stirling Castle.

Royal Weddings at Holyrood Abbey

Royal Burials at Holyrood Abbey

Royal Vault in the ruins of Holyrood Abbey; Credit – © Susan Flantzer

Photo Credit – www.findagrave.com

The royal tombs of Scotland suffered much destruction during the Scottish Reformation. Practically all the tombs and the remains were destroyed. (See Unofficial Royalty Scottish Royal Burial Sites.) The few surviving remains are mainly interred at Holyrood Abbey.

Royals originally interred at the abbey church include:

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Works Cited

  • En.wikipedia.org. 2021. Holyrood Abbey – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holyrood_Abbey> [Accessed 3 April 2021].
  • Historicenvironment.scot. 2021. Holyrood Abbey. [online] Available at: <https://www.historicenvironment.scot/visit-a-place/places/holyrood-abbey/> [Accessed 3 April 2021].
  • Rct.uk. 2021. Highlights of the Palace of Holyroodhouse – Holyrood Abbey. [online] Available at: <https://www.rct.uk/visit/palace-of-holyroodhouse/highlights-of-the-palace-of-holyroodhouse#/#holyroodabbey> [Accessed 3 April 2021].
  • Sacred-destinations.com. 2021. Holyrood Abbey – Edinburgh, Scotland. [online] Available at: <http://www.sacred-destinations.com/scotland/edinburgh-holyrood-abbey-and-palace> [Accessed 3 April 2021].

Crathie Kirk in Crathie, Scotland near Balmoral Castle

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2021

Crathie Kirk; Credit – By The original uploader was DanMS at English Wikipedia. CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=23328669

Queen Victoria and Prince Albert made several visits to Scotland beginning in 1842 and quickly fell in love with the Highlands. Prince Albert arranged to acquire the lease on Balmoral Castle despite never having seen the castle or property before, and eventually purchased the property. Victoria and Albert first stayed at Balmoral in September 1848. The surrounding hilly landscape reminded them of Albert’s German homeland. Almost immediately, they realized the existing castle was too small for their large and growing family and household, and plans were made to expand the building. However, instead of making any additions, Victoria and Albert decided to build a new castle next to the existing one. In September 1853, Queen Victoria laid the foundation stone for the new castle, which was completed in 1856. At that point, the original building was torn down. Queen Victoria and her family began the tradition of spending time at Balmoral each year. Balmoral Castle remains the private property of the monarch and is used by the British royal family for their summer holidays.

Balmoral Castle; Credit – By Stuart Yeates from Oxford, UK – Flickr, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=728182

In 1848, Queen Victoria and her family began worshipping at nearby Crathie Kirk located only one-half mile (800 meters) east of Balmoral Castle. Crathie Kirk is a small Church of Scotland (Presbyterian) parish church in Crathie, a small village in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. This began the custom, which continues to this day, of members of the royal family and their guests worshipping with local people at Crathie Kirk.

Crathie has been a place of Christian worship since the 9th-century when a church was founded on the banks of the River Dee by St. Manire, Bishop of Aberdeenshire and Banff, and a follower of Saint Columba, an Irish abbot credited with spreading Christianity in Scotland. A single standing stone at Rinabaich is all that remains of Manire’s church.

A church dedicated to St. Manire was built in the 14th-century and was used until the 18th-century when it became too small for the growing population of the parish. A simple church typical of Scottish Presbyterian churches of the time was built on the site of the present church in 1805. This was the church that Queen Victoria and her family first attended.

The present Crathie Kirk in 1895; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1893, construction began on the present church designed by Alexander Marshall MacKenzie, a Scottish architect, and Queen Victoria laid the foundation stone. Funds for the new church were raised by subscription and gifts from parishioners and members of the public. A gift of £2,000 was made by Queen VIctoria’s daughters Princess Louise and Princess Beatrice who raised the money at a bazaar held on the grounds of Balmoral Castle. The present church was completed and dedicated in 1895. The granite church overlooks the River Dee and the ruins of the 14th-century church.

Interior of Crathie Kirk; Credit – By Drow69 – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=33432629

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Queen Elizabeth II attends a service of commemoration at Crathie Kirk on August 4, 2014, marking the 100th anniversary of the United Kingdom declaring war on Germany

The south transept is reserved for the royal family and their guests and has a small porched entrance doorway exclusively for the royal family. In the south transept, there is a private wood-paneled reception area with a carved wooden royal coat of arms on the top. The front pew has finely-carved panels and the center of the front pew bears the royal and imperial monogram of Queen Victoria. There are memorials to members of the royal family on the walls in the south transept.

Gifts from members of the royal family:

John Brown’s grave; Photo Credit – www.findagrave.com

Many of the local people who served Queen Victoria are buried in the Crathie Kirk churchyard and some have headstones with personal epitaphs from Queen Victoria. The most famous of the burials is that of John Brown who served Queen Victoria as a ghillie at Balmoral (Scottish outdoor servant) from 1849 – 1861 and a personal attendant from 1861 – 1883. On March 27, 1883, at Windsor Castle, 56-year-old John Brown fell into a coma and died. The cause of death was erysipelas, a streptococcal infection. Queen Victoria wrote in her diary that she was “terribly moved by the loss that robs me of a person who has served me with so much devotion and loyalty and has done so much for my personal well-being. With him, I lose not only one Servant, but a real friend. ” John Brown was buried in the churchyard at Crathie Kirk next to his parents and some of his siblings. The inscription on his gravestone shows the affection between him and Queen Victoria:

This stone is erected in affectionate and grateful remembrance of John Brown the devoted and faithful personal attendant and beloved friend of Queen Victoria in whose service he had been for 34 years. Born at Crathienaird 8th Decr. 1826 died at Windsor Castle 27th March 1883. That Friend on whose fidelity you count/that Friend given to you by circumstances/over which you have no control/was God’s own gift. Well done good and faithful servant/Thou hast been faithful over a few things,/I will make thee ruler over many things/Enter through into the joy of the Lord.

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On December 12, 1992, the first and the only royal wedding was held at Crathie Kirk when Anne, Princess Royal, the only daughter of Queen Elizabeth II, married Timothy Laurence. Anne and her first husband Mark Phillips separated in 1989 and their divorce was finalized on April 23, 1992. Anne and Timothy chose to marry in Scotland as the Church of England did not at that time allow divorced persons whose former spouses were still living to remarry in its churches. The Church of Scotland does not consider marriage to be a sacrament and has no objection to the remarriage of divorced persons.

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Works Cited

  • Explore Churches. 2021. Ballater Crathie Kirk. [online] Available at: <https://www.explorechurches.org/church/crathie-kirk-crathie> [Accessed 16 March 2021].
  • Braemarandcrathieparish.org.uk. 2021. Braemar and Crathie Parish Church | Crathie Kirk. [online] Available at: <https://braemarandcrathieparish.org.uk/crathie-kirk/> [Accessed 16 March 2021].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2021. Crathie Kirk. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crathie_Kirk> [Accessed 16 March 2021].
  • Mehl, Scott, 2015. Balmoral Castle. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/balmoral-castle/> [Accessed 16 March 2021].
  • Scottishchurches.org.uk. 2021. Crathie Parish Church – Crathie and Braemar, Grampian – Places of Worship in Scotland | SCHR. [online] Available at: <http://www.scottishchurches.org.uk/sites/site/id/3836/name/Crathie+Parish+Church+Crathie+and+Braemar+Grampian INSIDE CHURCH> [Accessed 16 March 2021].

Chapel Royal at St. James’s Palace in London, England

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2021

The north gatehouse, the main entrance of St James’s Palace on Pall Mall. The large window to the right of the gatehouse is the stained glass window of the Chapel Royal; Credit – Wikipedia

The Chapel Royal at St. James’s Palace is a royal peculiar which means it is under the direct jurisdiction of the monarch. It is also a chapel royal, an establishment in the royal household serving the spiritual needs of the sovereign. It is located in the main block of St. James’s Palace in London, England, less than a half-mile from Buckingham Palace. St. James’s Palace was built in the 1530s during the reign of King Henry VIII on the site of a leper hospital dedicated to St. James the Less, hence the name St. James’s Palace. St. James’s Palace was displaced in the late-18th and early-19th centuries as a residence by Buckingham Palace.

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St. James’s Palace is still a working palace, and the Royal Court is still formally based there, despite the monarch residing elsewhere. Ambassadors from foreign countries to the United Kingdom are still accredited to the Court of St. James’s. St. James’s Palace is the home of several members of the British royal family and their household offices, and it hosts many receptions each year for charities associated with members of the royal family. The State Apartments are sometimes used for entertaining during state visits, as well as for other ceremonial and formal occasions. For instance, the Accession Council meets in St. James’s Palace following the death of a monarch, and the accession of a new monarch is proclaimed by Garter King of Arms from the Proclamation Gallery overlooking Friary Court of St. James’s Palace.

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The Chapel Royal at St. James’s Palace, with its oak paneling, marble floors, and green lamps on the pews, is small and seats only 150 people. Old tapestries hang from the cream-colored walls and the ceiling is decorated with golden swirls of royal initials and coats of arms. A beautiful stained glass window over the altar floods the chapel with natural light.

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The chapel ceiling was copied from the mosaics in the ambulatory vault at Santa Costanza, a 4th-century church in Rome, Italy. The honeycomb-like ceiling panels were painted by Hans Holbein the Younger with royal cyphers and coats of arms in honor of King Henry VIII’s (short-lived) marriage to his fourth wife Anne of Cleves.

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The current stained glass window over the altar, designed by artist John Napper, was installed to commemorate Queen Elizabeth II’s Golden Jubilee in 2002. A tree in the center panel is occupied by birds, red and white flowers that resemble Tudor roses, and plaques with names of countries affiliated with Queen Elizabeth II. ‘ER’ (Elizabeth Regina, Elizabeth the Queen in Latin) is written on the trunk of the tree. The two side panels show the Gospel writers Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Click on the photo below to see an enlargement.

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The stained glass window commemorating Queen Elizabeth II’s Golden Jubilee

In 1836, alterations to the chapel were carried out by architect Sir Robert Smirke. Smirke enlarged the chapel, installed oak paneling, and added a new ceiling at the south end, decorated with the names and royal cyphers of King William IV, the king at that time, and his wife Queen Adelaide to match the earlier ceiling painted by Holbein. During World War II, the chapel was damaged by a bomb but was fully restored.

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Interior view of the Chapel Royal in St James’s Palace, 1816

The Chapel Royal at St. James’s Palace has been used since the time of King Henry VIII and is still used by the British royal family. Both Prince George of Wales and Prince Louis of Wales, sons of Prince William, The Prince of Wales, were christened there. When St. James’s Palace was a royal residence, the royal family and their courtiers worshipped at the Chapel Royal. Queen Mary I’s heart is buried beneath the choir stalls. In 1588, Queen Elizabeth I said prayers in the Chapel Royal as she waited to receive messages of the progress of the Spanish Armada. In 1649, after being convicted of treason and other high crimes and sentenced to death during the English Civil War, King Charles I was held at St. James’s Palace. On the day of his execution, King Charles I received Holy Communion in the Chapel Royal and then walked the short distance from St. James’s Palace to the Palace of Whitehall where a scaffold for his beheading had been built outside the Banqueting House.

Christenings at the Chapel Royal, St. James’s Palace

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Christening of Princess Beatrice of York

Weddings at the Chapel Royal, St. James’s Palace

Wedding of the future King George V and Princess Victoria Mary of Teck; Credit- By Laurits Regner Tuxen (1853-1927) – Royal Collection [1] Identification key [2], Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=8759360

Other Royal Events at the Chapel Royal, St. James’s Palace

  • The coffin of Diana, Princess of Wales rested in the Chapel Royal, St. James’s Palace from August 31 – September 5, 1997. On September 5, 1997, the coffin was moved to Kensington Palace where it would remain until the funeral at Westminster Abbey on September 6, 1997.
  • Meghan Markle, the future wife of Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, was baptized and confirmed into the Church of England at the Chapel Royal, St. James’s Palace on March 6, 2018.

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Works Cited

  • Bull, M., 2020. St James’s Palace: Photos inside Princess Anne’s official London residence. [online] Express.co.uk. Available at: <https://www.express.co.uk/life-style/property/1400245/princess-anne-royal-family-inside-st-James-palace-chapel-pictures-Beatrice> [Accessed 15 March 2021].
  • Colinburns.com. 2021. The British Monarchy. [online] Available at: <http://www.colinburns.com/di/www.royal.gov.uk/palaces/chapel.htm> [Accessed 15 March 2021].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2021. Chapel Royal. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chapel_Royal#St_James’ss_Palace> [Accessed 15 March 2021].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2021. St James’s Palace. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St_James%27s_Palace> [Accessed 15 March 2021].
  • Flantzer, Susan, 2019. British Royal Christenings: House of Hanover. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/house-of-hanover-christenings/> [Accessed 15 March 2021].
  • Flantzer, Susan, 2019. British Royal Christenings – House of Stuart. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/british-royal-christenings-house-of-stuart/ 2019> [Accessed 15 March 2021].
  • Flantzer, Susan, 2012. Weddings of British Monarchs’ Children: Tudors – Windsors. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/royal-weddings/british-royal-weddings/weddings-of-british-monarchs-children/> [Accessed 15 March 2021].
  • The Royal Family. 2021. The Chapel Royal. [online] Available at: <https://www.royal.uk/chapelroyal> [Accessed 15 March 2021].

Chapel Royal at Hampton Court Palace in London, England

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2021

Credit – Michael Coppins – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=94298291

The Chapel Royal at Hampton Court Palace, which this writer has visited, is a royal peculiar which means it is under the direct jurisdiction of the monarch. It is also a chapel royal, an establishment in the royal household serving the spiritual needs of the sovereign. It is located in Hampton Court Palace on the River Thames in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, upstream of central London. Hampton Court Palace was built from 1515 to 1517 by Cardinal Thomas Wolsey, Archbishop of York and Lord High Chancellor of England. When Cardinal Wolsey fell out of favor in 1529, he unsuccessfully attempted to reinstate himself in King Henry VIII’s good graces by giving Hampton Court Palace and its contents to the king. Cardinal Wolsey died in 1531 while traveling from northern England to London to face charges of high treason.

Hampton Court Palace became one of King Henry VIII’s most favored residences and he enlarged it so it could accommodate his many courtiers. During the joint reign of King William III and Queen Mary II, Hampton Court Palace saw massive rebuilding and expansion work, intending it to rival the French Palace of Versailles. King George II was the last monarch to reside in the palace. After the death of King George II in 1760, Hampton Court Palace was used to house grace and favor residents but there have been no new grace and favor residents since the 1960s and the last one died in 2017. Queen Victoria opened Hampton Court Palace to the public in 1838 and it has continued to be a major tourist site. Hampton Court Palace is the headquarters of Historic Royal Palaces, a self-funding charitable foundation, that is responsible for the care and the running, on behalf of The Crown, of Hampton Court Palace, along with the Tower of London, Kensington Palace (State Apartments and Orangery), the Banqueting House at Whitehall, Kew Palace with Queen Charlotte’s Cottage, and Hillsborough Castle.

Construction of the Chapel Royal at Hampton Court Palace began with Cardinal Wolsey and continued with King Henry VIII. The chapel was the place of worship for the Tudor, Stuart, the first two Hanover monarchs, and their many courtiers while in residence at Hampton Court Palace. The royal family sat in the royal pew, also called the Holy Day Closet, opposite the altar and a floor above the other people in the congregation.

Above the altar was a huge stained glass window designed for Cardinal Wolsey by German woodcut designer and painter Erhard Schön. Originally depicted on the huge stained glass window were St. Heinrich II, Holy Roman Emperor (Henry VIII’s patron saint), St. Catherine of Alexandria (patron saint of Catherine of Aragon, first wife of Henry VIII), St. Thomas Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury (Cardinal Thomas Wolsey’s patron saint) and the figures of Henry VIII, Catherine of Aragon and Cardinal Wolsey, at prayer beside their patron saints. It is thought that Henry VIII made some changes to the stained glass window after the fall of Cardinal Wolsey and Henry VIII’s marriage to Anne Boleyn. It is probable that St. Anne (mother of the Blessed Virgin Mary) replaced St. Catherine of Alexandria and that Anne Boleyn replaced Catherine of Aragon. In addition, St. Thomas Becket and Cardinal Thomas Wolsey were probably removed from the stained glass window.

The ceiling of the Chapel Royal at Hampton Court Palace; Credit – By Jody Bowie – Flickr: CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=26185178

The beautiful blue and gold timber and plaster ceiling was begun by Henry VIII in 1535. Tudor dynastic images are represented in the ceiling. Along the top of the walls are Henry VIII’s arms, the rose combining the red and white of the Houses of York and Lancaster, and the heraldic badge of the portcullis, inherited from Henry VIII’s paternal grandmother Lady Margaret Beaufort, Countess of Richmond and Derby. The pendants down the center of the ceiling again reflect the red and white roses, and the main pendants are in the green and white livery colors of the House of Tudor. The motto of the Order of the Garter, “Honi soit qui mal y pense” (Shame on him who thinks evil of it) is on the crossbeams.

During the Commonwealth of England (1649 – 1660), after the English Civil War and the trial and execution of King Charles I, there was much destruction in the Chapel Royal at Hampton Court Palace. The stained glass window was destroyed and bricked up. Decorations with religious or royal symbols were destroyed. Henry VIII’s beautiful blue and gold ceiling still remains only because it was too high for the soldiers to strip off the carvings.

The oak reredos, an ornamental screen covering the wall at the back of an altar, was originally carved for the Palace of Whitehall in London by master carver Grinling Gibbons. In 1696, a decision was made to bring it to Hampton Court. Gibbons was in charge of dismantling it, supervising its transportation on the River Thames, and re-erecting it in the Chapel Royal at Hampton Court Palace. This turned out to be a rather lucky decision because, in 1698, the Palace of Whitehall was almost completely destroyed by a fire.

By Thomas Sutherland – W.H. Pyne (1819), The History of the Royal Residences, vol. 2: plate 33.This scan from Panteek, of Spokane WA, from whom a copy of the original print was available. Description page, Image, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=19212376

In 1710, Queen Anne commissioned architect Sir Christopher Wren to remodel the Chapel Royal at Hampton Court Palace. The present royal pew, pews, oak paneling, marble floor, and wall paintings all date from Wren’s remodeling. The pews, the paneling, and the pillars supporting the royal pew are made of Norwegian oak, designed by Sir Christopher Wren, and carved by Grinling Gibbons. The reredos above the altar replacing the destroyed Tudor stained glass windows was designed by Wren and carved by Gibbons. Wren also added an organ and a staircase leading down from the royal pew.

Henry VIII worshipped in the Chapel Royal at Hampton Court Palace with all six of his wives. On October 13, 1537, Henry VIII’s longed-for son, the future but short-lived King Edward VI, was born to Henry VIII’s third wife Jane Seymour at Hampton Court Palace. The infant prince was christened two days later in the Chapel Royal at Hampton Court Palace by Thomas Cranmer, Archbishop of Canterbury who was his godparent along with his eldest half-sister Princess Mary, the future Queen Mary I. Jane Seymour died from childbirth complications on October 24, 1537. She lay in state in the Chapel Royal at Hampton Court Palace for three weeks and her viscera were buried beneath the altar there. Her body was buried at St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle and Henry VIII was buried with her when he died in 1547.

Haunted Gallery at Hampton Court Palace. The door on the left leads to the royal pew in the Chapel Royal, a floor above the main floor of the chapel; Credit – www.hrp.org.uk/hampton-court-palace

On All Saints’ Day, November 1, 1541, when Henry VIII went to pray in the Chapel Royal at Hampton Court Palace, he found a letter on his pew from Thomas Cranmer, Archbishop of Canterbury describing the accusations of adulterous behavior made about his fifth wife Catherine Howard. Leading to the entrance of the royal pew at the Chapel Royal at Hampton Court Palace is a passage called the Haunted Gallery because legend has it that the ghost of Catherine Howard has been seen and heard there. After Catherine Howard had been accused of adultery by her husband, she was kept prisoner in her apartments at Hampton Court Palace. However, one day, Catherine evaded her guards and ran towards the chapel, where Henry VIII was at prayer in the royal pew, to make a last plea for mercy. Her way was barred by more guards, who dragged her, shrieking, back through the gallery. Three months later, Catherine Howard was beheaded at the Tower of London. In 1543, Henry VIII married his sixth and final wife Catherine Parr in the Holy Day Closet, also called the royal pew.

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Father Anthony Howe, Chaplain of the Chapel Royal at Hampton Court, shows Cardinal Vincent Nichols, Archbishop of Westminster, around the Chapel Royal prior to the vesper service

Following Henry VIII’s break with the Roman Catholic Church, Catholic services in the Chapel Royal at Hampton Court Palace were briefly restored during the reign of his Catholic daughter Queen Mary I (reigned 1553 – 1558). On February 9, 2016, Cardinal Vincent Nichols, the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Westminster, celebrated Vespers at the Chapel Royal at Hampton Court Palace, the first Catholic service in the chapel for more than 450 years. In a symbolic gesture of reconciliation, Richard Chartres, the Church of England Bishop of London and Dean of the Chapel Royal, also participated in the service. About 300 people attended the service, which was largely conducted in Latin and featured beautiful choral music from the 15th and 16th centuries and concluded with the national anthem.

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Queen Elizabeth II meeting the choirboys of the Chapel Royal at Hampton Court Palace during the 400th anniversary of the Hampton Court Conference

Since Hampton Court Palace ceased to be a royal residence during the reign of King George II, the Chapel Royal there rarely has had royal visits. In May 2004, Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh celebrated the 400th anniversary of the Hampton Court Conference, meetings with King James I and representatives of the Church of England and leading English Puritans, at a service in the Chapel Royal at Hampton Court Palace. The 2004 service was probably the first time the British monarch attended a service in the Chapel Royal at Hampton Court Palace since George II withdrew the court from Hampton Court Palace after the death of his wife Queen Caroline in 1737.

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Lord Frederick Windsor and Sophie Winkleman after their wedding in the Chapel Royal at Hampton Court Palace

The first royal wedding for centuries was held at the Chapel Royal at Hampton Court Palace on September 12, 2009, when Lord Frederick Windsor, son of Prince and Princess Michael of Kent and a great-grandson of King George V, married actress Sophie Winkleman. Royal guests included Princess Eugenie, Princess Alexandra, and the Duke and Duchess of Kent.

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Queen Elizabeth II during the recording of her Christmas Day Speech in the Chapel Royal at Hampton Court Palace

In December 2010, to mark the upcoming 400th anniversary of the King James Bible, Queen Elizabeth II gave her annual Christmas message from the Chapel Royal at Hampton Court Palace.

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Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh leave the service in celebration of the centenary of the Order of the Companions of Honour at the Chapel Royal at Hampton Court Palace

On June 13, 2017, the Chapel Royal at Hampton Court became the Chapel of the Order of the Companions of Honour. That new honor for the chapel and the centenary of the founding of the Order of the Companions of Honour were celebrated with a Choral Evensong attended by Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, and many members of the Order of the Companions of Honour.

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Works Cited

  • British Heritage. 2021. The Tudors at the Palace of Hampton Court. [online] Available at: <https://britishheritage.com/travel/tudors-hampton-court> [Accessed 10 March 2021].
  • Chapelroyalhamptoncourt.org.uk. 2021. The Chapel Royal – Hampton Court Palace. [online] Available at: <https://www.chapelroyalhamptoncourt.org.uk/> [Accessed 10 March 2021].
  • Guardian. 2016. Hampton Court’s Chapel Royal Stages First Catholic Service for 450 Years. [online] Available at: <https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/feb/09/hampton-courts-chapel-royal-stages-first-catholic-service-for-450-years some history> [Accessed 10 March 2021].
  • Historic Royal Palaces. 2021. Chapel Royal – Hampton Court Palace. [online] Available at: <https://www.hrp.org.uk/hampton-court-palace/whats-on/the-chapel-royal/#gs.uyupzb> [Accessed 10 March 2021].
  • Worsley, Lucy and Souden, David. 2015. The Story of Hampton Court Palace. London: Merrell Publishers Limited