A stained glass window shows the "bond of friendship" between Windsor, Ont. and Windsor, UK
CBC | Posted: May 15, 2018 8:53 PM | Last Updated: May 15, 2018
With the royal wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle fast approaching, all eyes are on the town of Windsor in the United Kingdom.
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Other than sharing a name, it may seem Windsor, Ont. and Windsor, UK have little in common, but evidence of their connection can be found, if you just spend a little time looking closely ... at stained glass windows.
CBC reporter Thomas Daigle took this photo Tuesday at the Guildhall, which is just down the road from St. George's Chapel at Windsor Castle, where the royal wedding is to take place on Saturday.
History between the two Windsors
"This window was installed to commemorate the renovation of the Guildhall in the year of the Festival of Britain," the window reads.
"The Festival of Britain in 1951 was a big deal, celebrating the end of the postwar austerity that lasted for so long after the war ended in 1945," said University of Windsor Professor Emeritus Leslie Howsam. "I imagine that many Canadian cities (and cities elsewhere in the Commonwealth) would have sent this sort of tribute to various places in the UK."
In fact, the window was meant to "celebrate the bond between the two Windsors," according to a caption on a photo of the stained glass that is in the Windsor Museum's possession.
The photo was donated by Dr. Brigitte Mitchell, chair of the Friends of the Windsor and Royal Borough Museum in the UK, during a visit to Windsor, Ont. According to Mitchell, the window was unveiled by Queen Elizabeth — then Her Royal Highness Princess Elizabeth — on May 15, 1951.
Mitchell also noted she had come across "records noting that Windsor, Ontario helped Windsor, England to raise money for the war effort during WWII."
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle will tie the knot in Windsor, UK on May 19. CBC will be on location in Windsor Castle and London bringing you live coverage on wedding day on CBC TV, CBC Radio and CBCNews.ca.