Britain's Windsor Castle, ravaged by fire five years ago, was shown in its former glory yesterday when a £36.5 million restoration was officially unveiled. Over 100 rooms of the castle's 1,000 were destroyed by fire on November 20th, 1992, the final blow in Queen Elizabeth's "annus horribilis" which saw the serial breakup of her children's marriages.
The queen has described the restoration as "a wonderful anniversary present". She celebrates 50 years of marriage to Prince Philip this week.
The restoration has been completed five years ahead of schedule and £5 million under budget. Windsor, west of London, is the queen's favourite residence. But there was an outcry when it was suggested the restoration should be carried out at public expense. Instead the queen agreed to fund the work and opened Buckingham Palace to the public each summer to raise some of the money needed, with extra funding from public works grants.
Nine of the state rooms were left unrecognisable by the blaze, which started in the former Chapel Royal during general maintenance work.
On Friday the queen held a reception for 1,500 of the 5,000 contractors, carpenters, electricians and plumbers who helped repair the castle. The restored rooms will be reopened to the public next month. Three Metropolitan Police detectives yesterday accepted undisclosed libel damages and legal costs from the Daily Mirror over an allegation that they arrested a man on suspicion of causing a small fire in Windsor Castle because they wanted to "give the Queen someone's head on a plate".
The investigating officers - Det Insps Michael Barley and David Marshall and Det Constable Terence Mills, all attached to New Scotland Yard's Organised Crime Group - felt the article called their professional conduct and integrity into question, their solicitor said.