On Queen Elizabeth and Prince Phillip‘s 45th wedding anniversary (November 20, 1992), a day that should have been filled with joy and love was ruined because a fire broke out in Windsor Castle.
Queen Elizabeth And Prince Phillip Were At One Of Her Weekend Homes
The fire reportedly started in Queen Victoria’s Private Chapel, where a halogen lamp set the place ablaze. The flame ignited the heavy curtains and tapestry before it consumed the wooden walls.
Apparently, at the time of the fire, Royal Household refinishers were in the chapel examining Windsor’s most historic works of art.
Within a matter of minutes, the blaze spread to St. George’s Hall Brunswick Tower and then quickly engulfed neighboring rooms.
Queen Elizabeth and Prince Phillip were off celebrating their 45th anniversary at one of her weekend homes. Prince Andrew had been staying at the castle when the flames erupted, and he called his mother with the devastating news.
The Queen raced to the castle and was forced to stand and watch her home burn. She was so horrified by the scene as she put her hand over her mouth.
The paintings, which were not normally kept in the chapel, “were being stored there during rewiring work,” the Daily Mail reported at the time.
In a Hail Mary move to try to save these priceless paintings, “The alarm was raised quickly, and the restorers began frantically removing works of art.”
It was also reported that “long after nightfall, 40ft flames were erupting like a volcano from the Brunswick Tower.” Prince Charles soon arrived to supervise the removal of items from the castle. Andrew also helped carry out the task of removing objects from the castle.
The Queen Gave Her Famous “Annus Horribilis” Speech
Priceless pieces, including vintage mirrors and paintings, were removed and placed securely on a lawn near the Quadrangle. The fire had demolished one hundred fifteen rooms in the castle, including nine official staterooms.
St. George’s Hall, a gallery where banquets were held, completely collapsed, as did the floors of the Brunswick Tower.
Fortunately, only two works of art couldn’t be saved in time. In another stroke of luck, the Royal Library remained unharmed. Two hundred twenty-five firefighters from seven counties battled the fire, which was extinguished in about fifteen hours.
Restoring the 1,000-year-old Castle cost about $60 million, and it would have cost more by today’s standards.
1992 was a very difficult year for the Queen. She named it “annus horribilis.” It was the year three of her children, Prince Charles, Prince Andrew, and Princess Anne, announced the ends of their respective marriages.
It was a year in which scandals rocked the royal family, as Princess Diana’s controversial book, “Diana, Her True Story” (later published as Diana: Her True Story In Her Own Words) by Andrew Morton, was published. The poor Queen was distraught over several adverse events that affected the monarchy’s image. Just four days after the fire, she gave what was known as her annus horribilis speech.
“1992 is not a year I will look back with undiluted pleasure,”
She admitted.
“In the words of one of my more sympathetic correspondents, it has turned out to be ‘Annus Horribilis.” In Latin, annus horribilis means “horrible year.”
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