Queen Elizabeth II said in a speech given on November 24, 1992, that the year was not one with which she would look back on with "undiluted pleasure," having experienced a number of personal setbacks which would have long-lasting impacts on the monarchy for years to come.
One of the principal events that took place this year alongside the official separation of Prince Charles and Princess Diana, was the devastating fire that destroyed large parts of the monarch's beloved home, Windsor Castle.
The fire and its aftermath were recreated by Netflix for the fifth season of their hit drama chronicling the life and reign of the queen, The Crown. But how did the fire really start and how did it affect the royals in real life? Newsweek has the answers.
When and Where Did the Windsor Castle Fire Start?
The Windsor Castle fire started on the morning of November 20, 1992.
The blaze began in the castle's private family chapel, which was located in the middle of the state and semi-state apartments on the North side of the complex, where a faulty spotlight ignited a curtain that was resting against it.
The fire was first sighted at 11:30 a.m. and over 200 firemen tackled the blaze as it spread through the apartments.
Many of the Royal Collection's most valuable objects which normally populated the rooms had been removed due to re-wiring works in places. However, a salvage operation was staged which saw paintings, porcelain and furniture evacuated by staff from the building and placed in the main quadrangle.
According to the Royal Collection, only two objects were lost during the fire: a rosewood sideboard and a painting by Sir William Beechey.
How Long Did the Castle Burn?
Despite the best efforts of the firemen drafted from surrounding areas to help tackle the fire, it burned for 15 hours, finally being extinguished at 2:30 a.m. on November 21.
Once the blaze was out, the fire service assessed the damage and reported that 115 rooms, including nine staterooms in the northeastern wing of the castle, had been destroyed, counting the ceremonial St George's Hall and its expansive roof void among them.
What Was Queen Elizabeth II's "Annus Horribilis" Speech?
Prince Andrew, who was living close to Windsor Castle at the time, was reportedly the first royal on the scene once the fire broke out, and it was he who called the queen to inform her of what was developing.
The queen spent each weekend at the castle, leaving Buckingham Palace on a Friday afternoon and returning on Monday. She arrived at the castle as the flames still raged and watched the rescue efforts take place.
Just four days later, she gave a speech at London's Guildhall to mark the 40th anniversary of her reign. Her voice was broken, which reports suggested was an after-effect of smoke inhalation during the fire.
"1992 is not a year on which I shall look back with undiluted pleasure. In the words of one of my more sympathetic correspondents, it has turned out to be an 'Annus Horribilis,'" she said.
"I suspect that I am not alone in thinking it so. Indeed, I suspect that there are very few people or institutions unaffected by these last months of worldwide turmoil and uncertainty.
"This generosity and whole-hearted kindness of the Corporation of the City to Prince Philip and me would be welcome at any time, but at this particular moment, in the aftermath of Friday's tragic fire at Windsor, it is especially so."
Who Paid for the Castle's Restoration and How Long Did It Take?
Apart from the damage created by the fire at Windsor, it was the million tons of water used to extinguish it that caused the most problems for the royal family and the castle.
A restoration committee was formed and headed by Prince Philip, who considered proposals to restore the rooms destroyed to the way they looked before the fire or to create the spaces anew. A mixture of the two was approved with the staterooms restored to their Georgian splendor, and the family chapel, where the fire started, redone in a modern design.
As the castle is owned by the government and not the Royal Family, it was suggested by some politicians that the restoration would be paid from public funds. This caused backlash as the country faced a period of economic hardship.
In the end, 70 percent of the funds for the restoration were raised privately, in part by the queen opening Buckingham Palace to paying visitors. After £36.5 million ($42.3 million) was spent on the restoration, Windsor Castle was completed on November 20, 1997.
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Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
James Crawford-Smith is a Newsweek Royal Reporter, based in London, U.K. His focus is reporting on the British royal family ... Read more
