Who is buried at Windsor Castle

Key figures buried at Windsor Castle

Windsor Castle is both an occupied royal residence and one of the longest continuously used palaces in Europe, housing significant royal tombs across multiple chapels and vaults. While the primary royal burial site for many monarchs is St George’s Chapel at Windsor, a number of notable members of the Royal Family and household have been interred on the Lower Ward and in castle-related locations. The following table summarizes key individuals, their relationship to the Crown, and their burial or memorial location within or closely associated with Windsor Castle.

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Name	Relationship to the Crown	Burial or memorial location	Date of death	Notes
Henry VIII (not buried at Windsor, originally intended for Windsor)	King of England	St George’s Chapel, Windsor (intended but not buried there; buried at St Peter ad Vincula, Tower of London)	1547	Windsor held a chantry intention; his actual tomb is at the Tower.
Jane Seymour	Queen consort, third wife of Henry VIII	St George’s Chapel, Windsor	1537	Interred at Windsor; tomb remains a notable shrine within the chapel.
King George III	King of Great Britain and Ireland	St George’s Chapel, Windsor	1820	Buried beneath the choir of St George’s Chapel following long reign and illness.
King George IV	Prince Regent, then King	St George’s Chapel, Windsor	1830	Buried in St George’s Chapel near his brother and parents.
King William IV	King	St George’s Chapel, Windsor	1837	Interred in St George’s Chapel after relatively short reign.
Queen Victoria	Queen of the United Kingdom	St George’s Chapel, Windsor	1861	Originally buried at Frogmore House, later reinterred at Windsor; created the model for royal private worship at the Castle.
Prince Albert	St George’s Chapel, Windsor	Husband of Queen Victoria; buried at Windsor following his death at Windsor Castle.
King Edward VII	King	St George’s Chapel, Windsor	1910	Buried at Windsor after a reign focused on modernization and international visits.
King George V	King	St George’s Chapel, Windsor	1936	Originally buried at St George’s Chapel, later moved to the Royal Vault; established Windsor as principal final resting place for 20th century monarchs.
King Edward VIII	King (abdicated)	Frogmore, Windsor Great Park	1972	Buried in the Royal Burial Ground at Frogmore rather than St George’s Chapel.
Wallis Simpson (Duchess of Windsor)	Dowager Duchess	Frogmore, Windsor Great Park	1986	Interred next to Edward VIII per their joint wishes; burial occurred privately at Frogmore.
King George VI	King	St George’s Chapel, Windsor	1952	Originally buried in the Royal Vault at Windsor, later moved to the King George VI Memorial Chapel within St George’s Chapel in 1969.	Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother	Queen consort	Frogmore, Windsor Great Park	2002	Buried alongside George VI at Frogmore; her funeral at Windsor was widely televised.
Princess Margaret	Royal family member	St George’s Chapel, Windsor (ashes interred in the King George VI Memorial Chapel)	2002	Ashes placed in the Memorial Chapel following cremation; a private service at Windsor marked her committal.	Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh	Prince Consort	King George VI Memorial Chapel, St George’s Chapel, Windsor	2021	Originally buried at Frogmore, reinterred at Windsor in 2022 in the newly designated King George VI Memorial Chapel.

Royal chapels and churches linked to Windsor Castle

Many of the burials associated with Windsor Castle occur within St George’s Chapel, a royal peculiar and one of the finest examples of Perpendicular Gothic architecture in the country. Windsor’s connection to royal funerals and memorials is reinforced by services held at both St George’s Chapel and the Royal Lodge Chapel in the Great Park, illustrating the layered nature of royal burial practice. Frogmore Gardens, a private estate within Windsor Great Park, hosts the Royal Burial Ground where several 20th-century monarchs and consorts rest.

Distinguishing Windsor Castle burials from other royal sites

Westminster Abbey and St Paul’s Cathedral serve national commemorative roles and house many eminent figures, but are not Windsor Castle burials. St George’s Chapel at Windsor functions as the primary collegiate chapel for the Order of the Garter and the traditional burial place for Windsor-linked royalty. Frogmore and the Royal Burial Ground nearby provide a more secluded cemetery setting for later generations. The distinctions among these sites clarify which locations are genuine Windsor Castle internments and which are associated memorials or resting places elsewhere.

Commemoration and public access

While many memorials and burial locations within Windsor Castle and its wider estate are not open to general access, services and state occasions may allow limited public viewing. St George’s Chapel and Frogmore Gardens sometimes host publicly accessible events and services, though access to actual tombs is typically restricted. Understanding the geography and chapel locations helps set expectations about access and the ways the site is commemorated.

Frequently asked questions

Are any monarchs buried at Windsor Castle itself?
Which members of the Royal Family are interred at Frogmore?
What is the difference between St George’s Chapel and the Royal Burial Ground at Frogmore?
Can the public visit the burial sites within the Windsor estate?
How does Windsor Castle relate to other royal funerary sites such as Westminster Abbey?

Summary and takeaway

Windsor Castle serves as both a working palace and a key site of royal remembrance, with St George’s Chapel and Frogmore hosting most interments connected to the Windsor estate. Notable figures range from medieval queens such as Jane Seymour to 20th-century monarchs and consorts including Edward VIII, Wallis Simpson, George VI, Elizabeth The Queen Mother, Margaret, and Prince Philip. The castle and its chapel grounds continue to function as an active, managed burial and commemorative landscape within the wider Windsor estate.