A horrific fire tore through Windsor Castle in 1992, causing extensive damage to the historic rooms. Although the blaze did not claim any lives, the rooms were left in a state of disrepair. Following the incident, Queen Elizabeth II made the heart-wrenching and surprising decision to document the internal devastation – enlisting an artist to paint the rooms, likely as a historical record.
The Royal Collection Trust, the charity entrusted with the care and upkeep of the official Royal Collection in Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle and beyond, shared the unearthed photos on Instagram on Tuesday.
Alongside striking before and after paintings, the team explained: "In the aftermath of the 1992 fire at Windsor Castle, Queen Elizabeth II invited artist Alexander Creswell to record the devastated State Rooms. In 1999, he created a companion series of watercolours showing the rooms restored to their full splendour. Swipe to see the before and after of 4 State Rooms."
The contrast was stark – the once decadent rooms filled with gold and red touches and ornate furniture were then blackened and bare in the after depictions.
© GettyQueen Elizabeth II's reaction to the Windsor Castle fire
The late Queen was not at Windsor Castle when news of the fire broke; however, once she found out, she headed straight there from Buckingham Palace. Her son, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, who was in Windsor Castle at the time, told local media: "She is helping to take stuff out of the castle – works of art. She has been in there for 30 minutes." The former Duke of York also told the press that his mother had been left "devastated" by the fire.
© Pool/Tim Graham Picture LibraryIn a speech following the fire, the Queen said: "1992 is not a year on which I shall look back with undiluted pleasure. In the words of one of my more sympathetic correspondents, it has turned out to be an annus horribilis."
It cost £36.5 million to repair the gutted interior and the damaged roof. To drum up these funds, Her Majesty started to charge people to enter Windsor Castle and Buckingham Palace opened up for tours to raise revenue.
Eco changes at the castle
© Getty ImagesThe 1,000-room castle is a successful tourist attraction, with a 4.7-star rating on Google. Since taking the royal reins, King Charles has implemented an ambitious mission to get royal homes to net zero by 2030, which has included a transformation in lots of areas at Windsor Castle. Solar panels have been installed on the roof of Windsor Castle for the first time as part of a drive to reach net zero in future. Plus, thousands of new saplings have been planted across the estate to encourage more wildlife.
