<p>How did a Norman fortress become the world’s most iconic royal residence?</p><p><a href="https://www.historyextra.com/period/medieval/king-john-facts-life-death/">King John</a> retreated here before signing Magna Carta; <a href="https://www.historyextra.com/period/tudor/king-henry-viii-facts-wives-spouse-execution-weight-reformation-cromwell/">Henry VIII</a> dismissed Catherine of Aragon from Windsor as he began his break with Rome; and <a href="https://www.historyextra.com/period/elizabethan/7-things-you-probably-didnt-know-about-elizabeth-i/">Queen Elizabeth I</a> hid out from plague and political threats.</p><p>Join Professor Kate Williams, historian and broadcaster, as she explores Windsor’s significance through the ages. A site of imprisonment, civil war, royal marriages, and tragic deaths, it housed the crown jewels in a biscuit tin during WWII, and served as a safe haven for princesses Elizabeth and Margaret, who once even used George IV’s sedan chair as a prop in their production of a pantomime.</p><p>Windsor Castle isn’t just a building; it is the setting for a thousand stories of British royalty, power, pride, tragedy, and reinvention.</p><p>Find <a href="http://historyextra.com/academy/royal-residences-secrets-and-scandals/">all episodes with Professor Kate Williams</a></p>
<a href="https://www.historyextra.com/membership/windsor-castle-royal-residences-academy-kate-williams/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">View Green Video on the source website</a>
