Visitors Flock to Windsor Castle as Royal Residence Reopens 3 Weeks After Queen Elizabeth's Death

Windsor Castle has reopened its gates.

The castle reopened to the public on Thursday for the first time since the death of Queen Elizabeth. Along with the rest of the royal residences, it was closed as a gesture of respect after the monarch died "peacefully" at age 96 on Sept. 8.

Windsor visitors will be now able to see where Queen Elizabeth is buried in the King George VI Memorial Chapel at St. George's Chapel. No cameras were present when the Queen was privately interred following her state funeral and committal service on Sept. 19. There, she was buried with Prince Philip, her beloved husband of 73 years, her parents, King George VI and the Queen Mother, and her sister, Princess Margaret.

Buckingham Palace released a photo of the updated family ledger stone last Saturday. The BBC reported that 3,000 tickets with chapel access were sold in advance, and hundreds of people waited in line on opening day.

Among the bunch was Anne Daley from Cardiff, who told the Associated Press the site struck her as somber.

"The castle feels like empty, gloomy. Nobody's living in it," Daley, 65, said of Windsor Castle. "You know, you've lost the Queen, you've lost the Duke [of Edinburgh], you lost the corgis. It's like when you've sold your house and all the history is gone."

Queen Elizabeth primarily lived at Windsor Castle since the coronavirus pandemic began in 2020, leaving the confines of Buckingham Palace in London. Throughout her final years, she was able to spend time at Sandringham House in Norfolk and Balmoral Castle in Scotland, where she died three weeks ago.

Adult admission to Windsor Castle currently costs about $29 from Sunday to Friday, and a few dollars more on Saturdays.

The Royal Collection Trust reopened the Palace of Holyroodhouse, the official residence of the British royal family in Scotland, and The Queen's Galleries in London and Edinburgh last Thursday. Balmoral, meanwhile, will reopen to the public on Oct. 3.

While visitors are welcome once again, the Platinum Jubilee displays honoring the Queen's 70-year reign will not reopen at Holyroodhouse, Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle.

Kate Middleton was at work in Windsor Castle on Thursday, hosting one of her first audiences since becoming the Princess of Wales. The senior royal, 40, welcomed the Royal Navy Ship's Company of HMS Glasgow, a modern battleship that's currently being constructed in the Govan district of Glasgow, Scotland.

At the meeting, Princess Kate spoke to company members about how construction is going and their experiences serving in the Royal Navy.

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Queen Elizabeth tapped Princess Kate as the sponsor of the HMS Glasgow in June 2021, which Prince William announced in a speech at the shipyard last summer.

The patronage promises that Kate will have a longstanding "strong and enduring personal connection to the vessel and her crew, often supporting milestones, events and deployments," her office at Kensington Palace said at the time.