- A 1992 fire at Windsor Castle caused extensive damage
- It was a major disaster of Queen Elizabeth II's reign
- The fire was in The Crown season 5, but this is the true story
1992 was not an easy year for the British royals. In addition to drama within the family, there was also a devastating fire at Windsor Castle.
The series The Crown picks up on this in its new season, showing how much the fire shook the royals – particularly the Queen. But what really happened back then?
The real story of the 1992 Windsor Castle fire
On the morning of Nov. 20, a spotlight in Queen Victoria's Private Chapel set fire to a curtain. Quickly the fire spread.
The fire department and employees who arrived not only battled the fire, but also rescued numerous works of art from the castle. Except for two valuable pieces, all works of art were brought to safety in time.
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Nevertheless, the damage was considerable. It took firefighters 15 hours to fully extinguish the blaze. 115 rooms, including nine parade rooms, were completely destroyed.
The reconstruction lasted exactly five years and triggered heated debates. Many citizens were against the state paying for the reconstruction while the Queen herself did not support her country with taxes.
As a result, the Queen announced a different plan. She began paying income tax and opened Buckingham Palace to tourists, which would pay for much of the repairs.
In total, the reconstruction of Windsor cost about 36 million pounds, the equivalent of over 50 million dollars.
But worse than the price for the Queen was the sight of her destroyed castle. Windsor is said to have been one of the Queen's favourite places. After the fire broke out, she immediately traveled to the castle and appeared completely shocked.
In pictures taken of the rescue efforts, the Queen is seen standing by the fire department with tears in her eyes. See more in the video above.
