Blue Room (Windsor Castle) facts for kids
The Blue Room is a special room inside Windsor Castle, a famous royal home in England. It's known for being the place where several important people, including Queen Victoria's husband, Albert, Prince Consort, passed away. The room gets its name from the beautiful blue fabric that covers its walls.
Contents
The Blue Room at Windsor Castle
A Special Room in Windsor Castle
The Blue Room is found on the first floor of Windsor Castle's east wing. It's part of the castle's private apartments, which means it was once used by the royal family for their personal lives. For a time, during the reign of King George IV, it was even the Royal Bedchamber, where the king slept. The room is sometimes also called the 'Albert Room'.
A Place of Royal History
The Blue Room holds a lot of history, especially because several important royal figures passed away there.
- In 1830, King George IV died in the room.
- Seven years later, in 1837, King William IV also passed away there.
- Most famously, Albert, Prince Consort, the beloved husband of Queen Victoria, died in the Blue Room on December 14, 1861.
Prince Albert's Last Days
Prince Albert asked to be moved to the Blue Room because of the bright light from its tall windows. After he passed away, Queen Victoria was heartbroken. She decided that the room should be kept exactly as it was. She didn't want it to be seen as a "death room" but as a "living beautiful monument" to Albert.
Queen Victoria's Touching Tribute
For the next 40 years, until her own death in 1901, Queen Victoria made sure the Blue Room was cared for as if Prince Albert were still alive.
- Every day, a jug of hot water was brought to the room, just as it had been when Albert needed it for shaving.
- Fresh clothes were laid out on the bed.
- Even an unused chamber pot was removed and cleaned regularly.
- A sculpture of Albert, made by William Theed, was placed between the beds with a memorial wreath.
- Many fresh flowers always decorated the room.
Art and Memories
Queen Victoria also had the ceiling of the Blue Room decorated by an artist named Ludwig Gruner after Albert's death. A painting of Albert wearing armor, created by Edward Henry Corbould in 1863, was hung in the room. Later, this painting was moved to Albert's waiting room.
The Blue Room was also captured in art. In 1868, William Corden the Younger (whose father was William Corden the Elder) created a watercolour painting of the room. Queen Victoria asked him to paint it, and it is now part of the Royal Collection, which holds many treasures belonging to the British royal family.
