Treasures from The Royal Archives

Since 1914 the famous Round Tower of Windsor Castle has been the secure and honoured home to the Royal Archives an extraordinary collection of many thousands of documents and records dating back to the reign of George III. Now, for the first time, highlights from this fascinating and internationally significant collection are to be published, as part of the celebrations to mark the centenary of the founding of the Royal Archives in a permanent home. The treasures discussed and illustrated here range from the records of affairs of state to letters, diaries and domestic jottings. Here is an account book of Princess Elizabeth (later Queen Elizabeth I), the list of Jacobite prisoners taken at the Battle of Culloden, President Lincoln commiserating with Queen Victoria on the death of Prince Albert, and the testimony of a witness in the trial of the Tolpuddle Martyrs. Here are letters from Bonnie Prince Charlie, William Pitt, Disraeli and Gladstone. There is a terrifyingly vivid first-hand description of the battle of Rorkes Drift, and a gentlemanly skirmish between Winston Churchill and King George VI, as to who should be present on board ship at D-Day in 1944. This exceptional publication will be further enhanced by a free augmented reality cross-platform app, bringing a selection of these treasures to 3D life before the readers eyes, in an extraordinary union of historical document and cutting-edge technology.