Commonwealth, also called Commonwealth of Nations, formerly (1931–49) British

Commonwealth of Nations, a free association of sovereign states comprising the United

Kingdom and a number of its former dependencies who have chosen to maintain ties of
friendship and practical cooperation and who acknowledge the British monarch as
symbolic head of their association. In 1965 the Commonwealth Secretariat was established
in London to organize and coordinate Commonwealth activities.is a political association of
54 member states, almost all of which are former territories of the British Empire.[4] The
chief institutions of the organisation are the Commonwealth Secretariat, which focuses on
intergovernmental aspects, and the Commonwealth Foundation, which focuses on non-
governmental relations between member states.[5]
The Commonwealth dates back to the first half of the 20th century with the decolonisation
of the British Empire through increased self-governance of its territories. It was originally
created as the British Commonwealth of Nations[6] through the Balfour Declaration at the
1926 Imperial Conference, and formalised by the United Kingdom through the Statute of
Westminster in 1931. The current Commonwealth of Nations was formally constituted by
the London Declaration in 1949, which modernised the community and established the
member states as "free and equal”
Commonwealth, chiamato anche Commonwealth delle Nazioni, precedentemente
(1931-1949) British Commonwealth of Nations, una libera associazione di stati sovrani che
comprende il Regno Unito e un certo numero delle sue ex dipendenze che hanno scelto di
mantenere legami di amicizia e cooperazione pratica e che riconoscono il monarca
britannico come capo simbolico della loro associazione. Nel 1965 il Commonwealth
Secretariat è stato istituito a Londra per organizzare e coordinare le attività del
Commonwealth. È un'associazione politica di 54 stati membri, quasi tutti ex territori
dell'Impero britannico. [4] Le principali istituzioni dell'organizzazione sono il
Commonwealth Secretariat, che si concentra sugli aspetti intergovernativi, e la
Commonwealth Foundation, che si concentra sulle relazioni non governative tra gli Stati
membri. [5]
Il Commonwealth risale alla prima metà del XX secolo con la decolonizzazione dell'Impero
Britannico attraverso una maggiore autogoverno dei suoi territori. Fu originariamente
creato come Commonwealth britannico [6] attraverso la Dichiarazione Balfour alla
Conferenza Imperiale del 1926 e formalizzato dal Regno Unito attraverso lo Statuto di
Westminster nel 1931. L'attuale Commonwealth delle Nazioni fu formalmente costituito
dalla Dichiarazione di Londra in 1949, che modernizzò la comunità e stabilì gli stati
membri come "liberi ed eguali”

Nestled into a charming small town in the British countryside is Windsor Castle—the oldest
continually occupied castle in the world. It is also the largest castle in which people still live and
work. Thousands of tourists a day flock to visit the staterooms, chapels, and rolling grounds open
to the public. Behind these public scenes, the castle contains extensive private grounds and royal
apartments fit for a Queen. Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II spends most of her weekends at the
beloved castle and even quarantined there with her husband Prince Phillip.
Like any tourist attraction, there are gift shops, guide ropes, and countless guidebooks to read.
Wandering Windsor, you can't take your eyes off the opulent gilding and imposing portraits. The
magnificent castle, which has housed 39 British monarchs, has a history stretching back 900
years to the days of William the Conqueror, the first Norman King of England. Many centuries
later, the British royal family changed their operative surname to “Windsor,” becoming known as
the House of Windsor in 1917.First built by William the Conqueror, following the Norman invasion
of England, the Castle was constructed to hold the strategically important area around London’s
Western bank.
It was during the reign of Henry II that the stone Castle you see today began to take shape.
Though most of the building work and investment came during the reign of his descendants,
Henry III and Edward III.
Edward, who was born at the Castle, famously created the Order of the Knights of the Garter, now
the world’s oldest and most prestigious national orders of chivalry. The Order is based at
Windsor’s vast St George’s Hall.
The iconic State Banquet is still held in St George’s Hall, and the Castle is often used to host visits
from overseas monarchs and national leaders.
Much of it remains visitable, when not in Royal use, including the stunning State Apartments and
the expansive St George’s Chapel.
The Chapel holds the body of deposed ruler Charles I. One of ten former Kings interred in the
Chapel crypts, Charles I was executed in 1649, following the English Civil War.
After the Civil War years, Windsor fell under the control of the British government, with Oliver
Cromwell often staying here.

It was after the Castle was returned to Royal hands that much of the opulence on show today was
added, including the 5km tree-lined Long Walk through the Great Park.
One of the most popular daily events at the Castle is the Changing of the Guard ceremony.

Immerso in un'affascinante cittadina nella campagna britannica, si trova il Castello di Windsor, il

più antico castello al mondo continuamente occupato. È anche il castello più grande in cui le
persone vivono e lavorano ancora. Migliaia di turisti ogni giorno accorrono per visitare le cabine,
le cappelle e i terreni ondulati aperti al pubblico. Dietro queste scene pubbliche, il castello
contiene vasti terreni privati e appartamenti reali adatti a una regina. Sua Maestà la Regina
Elisabetta II trascorre la maggior parte dei suoi fine settimana nell'amato castello e vi è persino
stata messa in quarantena con il marito, il principe Filippo.
Come ogni attrazione turistica, ci sono negozi di souvenir, corde guida e innumerevoli guide da
leggere. Girovagando per Windsor, non puoi distogliere lo sguardo dalle opulente dorature e dagli
imponenti ritratti. Il magnifico castello, che ha ospitato 39 monarchi britannici, ha una storia che
risale a 900 anni fa, ai giorni di Guglielmo il Conquistatore, il primo re normanno d'Inghilterra.
Molti secoli dopo, la famiglia reale britannica cambiò il proprio cognome operativo in "Windsor",
diventando nota come la Casa di Windsor nel 1917. Costruito per la prima volta da Guglielmo il
Conquistatore, a seguito dell'invasione normanna dell'Inghilterra, il castello fu costruito per
contenere area intorno alla banca occidentale di Londra.
Fu durante il regno di Enrico II che il Castello di pietra che vedete oggi iniziò a prendere forma.
Sebbene la maggior parte dei lavori di costruzione e degli investimenti siano avvenuti durante il
regno dei suoi discendenti, Enrico III ed Edoardo III.

Edward, che nacque al Castello, creò notoriamente l'Ordine dei Cavalieri della Giarrettiera, ora il
più antico e prestigioso ordine cavalleresco nazionale del mondo. L'Ordine ha sede nella vasta St
George's Hall di Windsor.
L'iconico banchetto di stato si tiene ancora nella St George's Hall e il castello è spesso utilizzato
per ospitare visite di monarchi e leader nazionali d'oltremare.
Gran parte di essa rimane visitabile, quando non è in uso reale, compresi gli splendidi
Appartamenti di Stato e l'ampia Cappella di San Giorgio.
La Cappella custodisce il corpo del sovrano deposto Carlo I. Uno dei dieci ex re sepolti nelle
cripte della Cappella, Carlo I fu giustiziato nel 1649, in seguito alla guerra civile inglese.
Dopo gli anni della Guerra Civile, Windsor cadde sotto il controllo del governo britannico, con
Oliver Cromwell che soggiornava spesso qui.

È stato dopo che il castello è stato restituito alle mani reali che gran parte dell'opulenza in mostra
oggi è stata aggiunta, inclusa la lunga passeggiata alberata di 5 km attraverso il Grande Parco.
Uno degli eventi quotidiani più popolari al Castello è la cerimonia del Cambio della Guardia.

Buckingham palce
Buckingham Palace has served as the official London residence of the UK’s sovereigns since
1837 and today is the administrative headquarters of the Monarch. Although in use for the many
official events and receptions held by The Queen, the State Rooms at Buckingham Palace are
open to visitors every summer.
Buckingham Palace has 775 rooms. These include 19 State rooms, 52 Royal and guest
bedrooms, 188 staff bedrooms, 92 offices and 78 bathrooms. In measurements, the building is
108 metres long across the front, 120 metres deep (including the central quadrangle) and 24
metres high.The palace was originally built in 1703 as Buckingham House, a London home for the
3rd Earl of Mulgrave, John Sheffield. It became a royal residence when King George III purchased
it in 1761 as a comfortable family home for his wife, Queen Charlotte. Fourteen of George and
Charlotte’s 15 children were born there.

Buckingham House underwent a palatial transformation in the 1820s, when King George IV
employed architect John Nash to give it a royal renovation. Queen Victoria was the first monarch
to adopt Buckingham Palace as her official residence, moving there in 1837, within a year of
becoming queen. She oversaw the last major construction work at the palace, adding the front
wing in the 1840s to give her large family extra space.
In 1883 electricity was installed in the ballroom, the largest room in the palace. Over the following
four years electricity was installed throughout the palace, which now uses more than 40,000
lightbulbs.
The balcony of Buckingham Palace is one of the most famous in the world. The first recorded
Royal balcony appearance took place in 1851, when Queen Victoria stepped onto it during
celebrations for the opening of the Great Exhibition. Since then, Royal Balcony appearances have
marked many occasions from The Queen’s annual official birthday celebrations to watch the RAF
Flypast at the end of Trooping the Colour, Royal Weddings, as well as special events of national
significance such as the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Britain.History of Buckingham Palace
George III bought Buckingham House in 1761 for his wife Queen Charlotte to use as a
comfortable family home close to St James's Palace, where many court functions were held.
Buckingham House became known as the Queen's House, and 14 of George III's 15 children
were born there.
George IV, on his accession in 1820, decided to reconstruct the house into a pied-à-terre, using it
for the same purpose as his father George III.
As work progressed, and as late as the end of 1826, The King had a change of heart. With
the assistance of his architect, John Nash, he set about transforming the house into a palace.
Parliament agreed to a budget of £150,000, but the King pressed for £450,000 as a more realistic
figure.Nash retained the main block but doubled its size by adding a new suite of rooms on the
garden side facing west. Faced with mellow Bath stone, the external style reflected the French
neo-classical influence favoured by George IV.
The remodelled rooms are the State and semi-State Rooms, which remain virtually unchanged
since Nash's time.
The north and south wings of Buckingham House were demolished and rebuilt on a larger scale
with a triumphal arch - the Marble Arch - as the centrepiece of an enlarged courtyard, to
commemorate the British victories at Trafalgar and Waterloo.
By 1829 the costs had escalated to nearly half a million pounds. Nash's extravagance cost him
his job, and on the death of George IV in 1830, his younger brother William IV took on Edward
Blore to finish the work. The King never moved into the Palace. Indeed, when the Houses of
Parliament were destroyed by fire in 1834, the King offered the Palace as a new home for
Parliament, but the offer was declined.
Queen Victoria was the first sovereign to take up residence in July 1837 and in June 1838 she
was the first British sovereign to leave from Buckingham Palace for a Coronation. Her marriage to
Prince Albert in 1840 soon showed up the Palace's shortcomings.
A serious problem for the newly married couple was the absence of any nurseries and too
few bedrooms for visitors. The only solution was to move the Marble Arch - it now stands at the
north-east corner of Hyde Park - and build a fourth wing, thereby creating a quadrangle. The cost
of the new wing was largely covered by the sale of George IV's Royal Pavilion at Brighton.
Blore added an attic floor to the main block of the Palace and decorated it externally with
marble friezes originally intended for Nash's Marble Arch. The work was completed in 1847.By the
turn of the century the soft French stone used in Blore's East Front was showing signs
of deterioration, largely due to London's notorious soot, and required replacing.
In 1913 the decision was taken to reface the façade. Sir Aston Webb, with a number of large
public buildings to his credit, was commissioned to create a new design. Webb chose Portland
Stone, which took 12 months to prepare before building work could begin. When work did start it
took 13 weeks to complete the refacing, a process that included removing the old stonework.
The present forecourt of the Palace, where Changing the Guard takes place, was formed in 1911,
as part of the Victoria Memorial scheme.
The gates and railings were also completed in 1911; the North-Centre Gate is now the
everyday entrance to the Palace, whilst the Central Gate is used for State occasions and the
departure of the guard after Changing the Guard. The work was completed just before the
outbreak of the First World War in 1914.