As the oldest royal residence which has been home to Kings and Queens for centuries, it may be unsurprising to learn that Windsor Castle is often referred to as the ‘most haunted’ of King Charles’s homes. There have reportedly been over 25 different ghostly sightings, with Queen Elizabeth II herself even admitting to witnessing something unusual.
Ever since construction began back in 1070, Windsor Castle has been used by almost every monarch since Henry I and, incredibly, there have been reported reappearances of the likes of everyone from Henry VIII to Queen Elizabeth I and King George III.
Whether it is hobbling ghosts, saluting soldiers or stolen bones, there are countless ghostly encounters with late royalty that will surely send a shiver down your spine.
If spooky stories are to be believed, King Charles may not be the only monarch in residence. These ghostly sightings occur so frequently that it has even been documented where you are most likely to spot certain monarchs.
According to Visit Britain, “[The Queen’s] footsteps can be heard on the bare floorboards, before her striking presence appears.” Queen Elizabeth II even claimed that she and Princess Margaret, witnessed paranormal activity in the castle, believing it to be an apparition of her namesake, Elizabeth I.
Similarly, if you wanted to see King George III, you would want to be in the room below the library. Towards the end of his reign, the King’s mental illness became so bad that he was confined in this room for long periods of the day. Witnesses describe seeing a figure “looking longingly out of the window.”
George III has not only been spotted in this room, but also in a bedroom of the castle. An officer shared his account of the sighting days after the King’s passing, while he was still lying in state.
The story goes that the guards were passing the King’s window on their duties when the commanding officer saw the distinctive figure of the King standing in his usual place, watching the parade. Instinctively, he gave the order “Eyes right,” and as they swung round, each soldier saw the figure and watched as the late King returned their salute.
There are also records of hearing the hobbling ghost of King Henry VIII in the Deanery Cloisters. The hugely obese King suffered from gout and painful ulcers on his leg, making it difficult to walk.
Among the other scary stories linked to Windsor is the claim that an antlered figure, known as Herne the Hunter, is said to ride a horse, torment cattle and rattle chains. It is believed his spirit appears in Windsor Great Park when the King or Queen is close to death, or when the nation is in peril.
And, while not strictly a ghost story, a rather spooky encounter took place in 1813 during the reign of King George III. The King’s eldest son, the future King George IV, and Sir Henry Halford went underneath St George’s Chapel and opened the tombs of Charles I and Henry VIII.
He was so interested in the bodies of his dead ancestors that he allowed Halford to draw Charles I’s face. Shockingly, due to the change in pressure, King Charles I’s eye ‘popped’. He also allowed Halford to take a souvenir – the King’s cervical vertebrae.
The bone was handed down through generations before it was given to the Prince of Wales (the future Edward VII). Queen Victoria was outraged when she learnt that her son had the bone and had it reinterred in a box next to the King.
