With centuries of royal occupation and tragic history, it's no wonder that a wealth of ghost
stories center on Windsor Castle and its grounds. From mysterious footsteps to
full-body apparitions, there's a ghost story for everyone who comes looking for them at Windsor.
If you ever visit Windsor Castle and work up the courage to ask your tour guide about any
possible hauntings, you'll almost certainly hear about the legend of Herne the Hunter.
This famous ghost has supposedly been stalking the grounds of the castle for centuries,
entrancing generations with his tragic tale and spooky afterlife.
Herne is reportedly often sighted in the Great Park, the large outdoor space near the castle.
The legend maintains that he was a favorite huntsman of the medieval King Richard II, having
gained the monarch's favor by saving him from a gruesome death at the horns of an angry stag.
The book Ghosts: The Complete Guide to the Supernatural notes that some versions of
the tale claim that Herne was healed via magic. This is a potentially scandalous
medical technique in an era when accused witches weren't exactly held up as paragons of virtue.
"We have found a witch. May we burn her?”
Being the king's buddy was a double-edged sword for Herne. He may have enjoyed royal favor,
but it's said that his colleagues grew jealous of his special treatment and conspired against
him by framing him for theft. Distraught at the accusation, Herne then killed himself. He's now
said to roam the Great Park, looking for spirits to join him in his hunt.
All war is awful, but civil wars seem to have an especially traumatic effect on a country
and its people. Perhaps that's why the ghosts of the English Civil Wars, both figurative and
literal ones, still linger in Britain centuries after the conflicts officially ended in 1651.
The English Civil wars began as a struggle between King Charles I and the Parliament
over how to handle rebellious Irish forces. It eventually bloomed into a bloody fight
over the question of whether the king or Parliament should take charge of England.
Eventually, Oliver Cromwell, head of the Parliamentarians, won out. He dramatically
marked the occasion by beheading Charles I, the focus of the Royalist cause. All told, some
34,000 people loyal to Cromwell died, while an estimated 50,000 Royalists also lost their lives.
Even a royal castle like Windsor can't fully escape this bloody legacy.
Its Norman Tower is home to a "Prison Room" that still potentially houses a long-dead
Royalist detainee. Creepily enough, children are said to see him while playing there.
Adults reportedly can't spot him, though, but they still feel his invisible presence brush past them.
It wouldn't be much of a haunted castle in Britain if there weren't a few royals
supposedly lingering around the place long after their physical bodies gave up. And who
would make a more striking royal ghost than the bejeweled and intimidating Queen Elizabeth I?
Elizabeth, who died in 1603, reportedly returns occasionally near the library,
sometimes disappearing into an inner room. She's also apparently notorious for appearing to members
of the royal family. King George III, for example, is said to have encountered a woman dressed in all
black fitting the queen's description. This specter told George that she was,
quote, "married to England," something Elizabeth often said while she was alive. King Edward VII,
son of Queen Victoria, also claimed to have seen a similar ghost. He confided this
encounter to one of his mistresses, which was consistent with his rather scandalous nature.
Those are both pretty great stories, but the experience of King George VI,
father of Elizabeth II, may very well take the cake. Elizabeth I reportedly appeared to
George for eight straight nights. Considering that World War II was just about to break out
into a conflict that would see the region bombed by the Germans in a military campaign
known as the Blitz, perhaps Elizabeth I was there as some sort of ghostly royal warning.
In the 17th century, a ghost appeared to an officer at Windsor. According to the Selected
Essays of Henry Fielding, the ghost predicted his own son's death and told the officer to warn him.
But this wasn't any old ghost with a warning for some person that's now lost to history.
This was instead the dead Sir George Villiers, who was instantly recognizable to the man.
The officer appeared to have taken the warning seriously enough after multiple encounters,
so he told the dead man's son, who was greatly disturbed by the story.
Sir George's son, also named George Villiers, was the first duke of Buckingham.
He was also the favorite of King James I, to the point that modern historians
are still debating if the duke and the king were romantically involved.
Regardless of the truth or lack thereof of such an amorous relationship, they were close enough
to inspire jealousy in the younger George, who wasn't shy about flaunting his power.
The ghostly father of the duke may not have cared or even known about all that,
but nevertheless, his warning was unsuccessful, as the duke would be assassinated anyway in 1628.
Even the kitchens of Windsor Castle aren't exempt from the ghosts that are packed onto the historic
grounds. These kitchens are well-appointed and expansive enough for a full staff with
a few ghosts to spare. This is still a royal castle, after all. One of the ghosts reportedly
occasionally spotted around here is a man leading a horse. That might sound pretty benign at first,
since neither the man nor the horse are known to be royals. But it gets a little creepier when
you learn that the man and beast are also known to dramatically disappear into a wall in the kitchen.
Considering that this area was once part of the old cavalry stables on the grounds,
it's not terribly shocking that the ghost of a groom and his horse might now be spotted nearby.
This pair reportedly aren't the only spirits lurking in the kitchens.
They've also reportedly played host to a specter of a small, blue-clad girl,
who was once spotted standing near a Christmas tree. The girl in blue is
also sometimes accompanied by a spectral white lady, which is a rather classic
type of haunting in Britain and Ireland. What castle would be complete without one?
Perhaps the most notorious ghost at Windsor Castle is that of Henry VIII,
who was also a pretty notorious ruler during his 16th century life.
It should perhaps come as no surprise that many accounts maintain that he still makes a visit
from time to time, as his remains are buried at St. George's Chapel on the castle grounds.
Alas, Henry's returned spirit doesn't appear to be an especially happy one. According to the book
Ghosts: The Complete Guide to the Supernatural, he's been spotted walking around the castle,
though his disembodied moaning and yelling is more often reported in the nearby cloisters.
Some have also said that they hear the king dragging his leg, which is understandable
since he spent a fair amount of his final years with an ulcerated leg that never quite healed.
His steadily declining physical health caused Henry great pain, and if the stories of his
spirit at Windsor are to be believed, it may still be tormenting him even beyond death.
"I'm Henry VIII, I am!"
Anne Boleyn, Henry VIII's second wife, is sometimes spotted looking sadly out of the window
at the Dean's Cloister at Windsor, where she's also occasionally seen weeping. Considering that
her husband had her executed in 1536, it's not hard to understand why she's so down in the dumps,
especially if her spirit has to encounter Henry's ghost. If the stories are to be believed,
then Anne's ghost really gets around. Her specter not only appears at Windsor Castle but also at
Hever Castle, Blickling Hall, and the infamous Tower of London, the site of her beheading.
The most lurid tales of Anne's ghost center on Blickling Hall, the site of her birthplace in
Norfolk, England. Her headless spirit is also said to pull up to the manor house on May 19,
the anniversary of her execution. She arrives at night, and for a little extra touch of creepiness,
her carriage is conducted by a fellow headless figure. Other local legends connect the news
of her death with the sighting of four ghostly horses who are, you guessed it, also missing
their heads. At least the version of Anne that appears at Windsor seems to be fully intact.
As if one headless royal wasn't enough, it's said that Windsor Castle is actually haunted by two,
as Anne Boleyn has reportedly been joined by the ghost of Charles I.
Ascending to the throne in 1625, Charles was the king of Great Britain and Ireland,
reigning until January 30, 1649. That's when he was executed, ostensibly for committing treason.
Parliamentarians led by Oliver Cromwell would then reign over England in Puritan-imposed
austerity until the return of the monarchy with Charles II in 1660.
Nowadays, the ghost of Charles I may reportedly still be spotted walking through the chapel
cloisters, though thankfully his head is apparently still attached to his spectral
shoulders. That may not be entirely surprising to some, considering that the king's mortal
remains are interred right there in the chapel. He may also range a little further
afield, as he's also supposedly been spotted in Windsor Castle's library.
Family can be tough to deal with. Sometimes it seems like everyone is arguing over just
about everything. When you add in the pressures of being a royal who's constantly in the public eye,
it can't be any easier, though all these castles must be nice. With that in mind,
consider the dispute about gardening between Queen Victoria and her great-grandson,
King Edward VIII. Edward would eventually abdicate the throne to marry the American
divorcee Wallis Simpson, but he surely thought he was in the clear for a little landscaping.
After all, those trees planted by his great-grandmother had been there for
many years, and Victoria herself was long gone. Who could possibly object?!
Victoria apparently did, at least according to the ghost stories about her. When Edward
ordered gardeners to pull up some spruce trees planted by Victoria and her husband Prince Albert,
the workers were plagued by strange happenings. It all eventually culminated in a sighting of
Victoria herself, waving her arms and moaning as she marched towards them.
At the time of her death, she was the longest-serving monarch in British history,
and it seems that she wanted to extend her stay a little longer.
"Mummy, enough is enough."
One of the most frequently recorded ghosts said to be spotted at Windsor Castle is yet another king,
namely the gloomy spirit of poor, confined King George III. He reigned for nearly 60 years,
making him one of the longest-reigning monarchs in British history. Yet his rule, which lasted from
October 1760 until his death in January 1820, was marred by progressively intense episodes of mental
illness. They began all the way back in 1778 and frequently left him incoherent and unable to
rule. Eventually, his son, the future King George IV, became prince regent and ruled in his stead.
During his periods of instability, George was typically confined to his own space within the
castle. And that's reportedly where some element of the king has remained at Windsor Castle.
It's said that he has sometimes looked out of the windows there. When guards saw him,
they would salute, and he would raise his hand in return. He apparently kept doing
this after his death. It's also been reported that a group of guards automatically saluted
the king as he looked out of the window, even though it was a few days after George's death,
and his remains were already lying in state at the castle. Based on all these ghostly examples,
the British monarchy simply refuses to die, in more ways than one.
"It's good to be the king."
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