The Long Walk, a 2.6-mile gallop leading to Windsor Castle, which is introducing visitor fees for the first time. Photo / 123rf
The Long Walk, a 2.6-mile gallop leading to Windsor Castle, which is introducing visitor fees for the first time. Photo / 123rf
Residents say they deserve something back from royal family for putting up with tourists all year round.
Windsor Castle will end its 200-year tradition of letting local residents enter for free.
The castle, located west of London in the UK, has offered free admission to locals since 1825 but willcharge them half the price of a regular ticket from June 1.
People in the town have criticised the move as “wrong and misjudged” and said they “deserve something back for welcoming so many tourists into their town”.
The Royal Collection Trust (RCT), which runs the castle, said the pricing was “in line with other businesses in the borough”.
Built in around 1070, Windsor is the world’s oldest inhabited castle. Visitors were first allowed in 1825, and a free ticketing system was introduced by Queen Victoria in 1837.
Free entry was permitted for all visitors until 1992, when a fire destroyed 115 rooms and caused millions of pounds worth of damage. Afterwards, visitors were charged an entrance fee to help pay for years of restoration.
However, local residents were still allowed free entrance if they held a resident’s advantage card.
The RCT, which controls all royal residences, now plans to end two centuries of tradition by charging residents £16.50 ($34.50) to enter the castle.
Entry to Windsor Castle grounds has been free to the public for generations. Photo / Frank Augstein, AP
The decision, which will allow free entry for one child up to the age of 17 per paying adult, has faced backlash.
Julian Tisi, Windsor’s Lib-Dem parliamentary candidate, said: “Most Windsorians are proud to have the castle on our front doorstep and love the royal connection and it has always been the expectation that entrance to go in has been free.”
Residents said free entrance to the castle made up for the negative impacts of tourism in the town.
Paul Oatway, 60, a former Grenadier Guards sergeant, said: “For them to tell me I now have to pay to go in is an absolute disgrace.
“Especially in summer the town is packed full of coaches and cars rammed with tourists and the roads are shut twice a day for the changing of the guard but we put up with all that.
“We can’t park our cars and the prices in all the cafes and restaurants are sky high for the tourists but it has always been a thank you from the royals to visit and not pay for entry.”
An RCT spokesman said the charity was working to make the castle more accessible to people from all backgrounds.
They said: “We regularly review our pricing against other organisations in the sector and based on this, updated our current advantage card offer to be in line with other businesses in the borough.
“We are continuing to explore ways to make the castle as accessible as possible to visitors from the local area, with current initiatives including free visits for community organisations working with under-represented groups, and a travel subsidy and access scheme for schools working with children from economically disadvantaged backgrounds.
“Income generated from admissions to the castle contributes directly to the Royal Collection Trust, a registered charity.
“The aims of the trust are the care and conservation of the Royal Collection, and the promotion of access and enjoyment through exhibitions, publications, loans and educational programmes.”
