The second most exciting thing to happen at Windsor Castle in recent times…

17th May 2018

With all the fervent fanfare for the activities set to take place at Windsor Castle this weekend, it got us thinking about the most exciting things to have happened there over the years. After all, it is the world’s oldest and largest occupied castle, so it’s bound to have a story or two within its heavy stone walls.

From military sieges during the First Baron’s War of the 13^th Century, surviving the English Civil War of the 1600s, and acting as a refuge for the Royal Family during the Luftwaffe bombing campaigns of the Second World War, Windsor Castle really has seen it all. The upcoming wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle is just another footnote in a fascinating and tumultuous history, and one that will rightly be shared by passionate Royalists all around the world.

Will you be joining the tens of thousands that are expected attend in person and line the famous Long Walk? Or will you be tuning in on television, or attending a party?

As you’re watching the wedding and you see the pomp and pageantry, just remember that almost exactly 12 months ago those very roads and gravel paths paved the way for Jaguars of all types – XJ220s, C-Types, D-Types, E-Types, XKs and XJs. Windsor Castle was home to the JEC’s Royal Windsor Jaguar Festival, and for one day last year, its stately stained-glass windows reverberated to the sounds of Jaguar straight sixes and V12s.

The Long Walk, set to be lined on Saturday with thousands of excited onlookers waving Union-Jack flags and hoping for just a moment’s eye contact or a wave as the Royal Couple pass by, played host to over a thousand Jaguars which were arranged in formation, spanning the entire history of the company. It really was a sight to see, and a true display of the passion held by Britons for our favourite make of car.

The passion on display at the Royal Windsor Jaguar Festival was palpable, as it undoubtedly will be on Saturday. But the honest question of what makes a better centrepiece to the driveway of Windsor Castle still needs to be asked. The Royal Couple, or an XJ220?

The Jaguar Enthusiasts Club will be staging their next flagship event, the Jaguar Summer Festival, at Wroxall Abbey from Friday June 29 until Sunday July 1. Click here to find out everything you need to know about our next event.