The Reluctant Traveller at Windsor Castle
- Rebecca Seear
- Jan 24
- 4 min read
Updated: 2 days ago
Eugene Levy, Prince William, and Thoughtful Continuity
In Season 3 of The Reluctant Traveller with Eugene Levy, the famously hesitant explorer arrives in Britain and finds himself in one of the country’s most symbolically rich settings: Windsor Castle.
Episode 4, now streaming on Apple TV+, offers far more than royal access. It becomes a quietly revealing reflection on continuity, responsibility, and the confidence to question thoughtfully within long-established tradition.
This is The Reluctant Traveller at its most assured. Not hurried. Not performative. Simply present.
The Reluctant Traveller Season 3 Comes to Windsor Castle
What unfolds during Eugene Levy’s visit to Windsor is not spectacle, but ease. He is guided through the Castle by His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales, later joins him for a drink in a local pub. The change of setting matters. Formality softens. Conversation leads.
At one point, Prince William jokes that perhaps personal tours might be included as part of the service. It is delivered lightly, with unmistakable British humour.
I found myself smiling at the screen and, perhaps a little boldly, agreeing.
Because this episode is not just about visiting Windsor Castle. It is about how a place is shared, and the ease with which history can be carried when it is lived in rather than displayed.
It was particularly lovely to see the Prince drinking at a pub so well known to, and well loved by, local people. Windsor has always held this dual character — ceremonial and everyday, existing comfortably side by side. That moment struck a personal chord. My own father drank there often enough that, in the 1990s, his carriage was drawn into an illustration of the pub itself.
A small detail, perhaps, but one that speaks to how deeply entwined daily life and history are here.
Windsor remembers its people as much as its pageantry.
It is a place shaped not only by state occasions, but by generations who have lived and worked within its rhythms.
“Everyone’s childhood home has a story”
Eugene Levy remarks that everyone’s childhood home carries its own stories. It is a simple observation, but one that lands with quiet weight.
Windsor Castle may stand as a symbol of continuity, but it is also, unmistakably, a home. A place shaped by daily life as much as by ceremony. That idea resonates deeply. Growing up on the estate myself, I have always known Windsor not as a monument, but as a place layered with human moments. Stories passed on. Paths worn in not just by centuries, but by habit.
This episode understands that instinctively.
For viewers discovering The Reluctant Traveller Season 3, the Windsor episode stands out for its intimacy. It shows Eugene Levy at Windsor Castle not as a visitor collecting highlights, but as someone being invited into conversation.
Prince William on Tradition, Responsibility, and the Future
Later in the episode, His Royal Highness speaks candidly about the future. He is clear that tradition remains essential. “Tradition stays,” he confirms. But he also speaks about the importance of reflection. Is something still fit for purpose? Is it still the right thing to do?
This is not a rejection of the past. It is stewardship.
There is no sense of disruption here, no desire to unsettle what has endured. Instead, the episode reflects calm confidence in continuity — an understanding that institutions survive not by resisting every question, but by asking the right ones at the right time.
It would be audacious to compare over two centuries of Hackney carriage service in Windsor with ten centuries of monarchy. And yet the underlying principle feels shared. Tradition endures not through rigidity, but through care, attention, and considered alignment with the modern world. For me, by placing horse welfare at the centre of every decision, questioning what is still appropriate, and adjusting our practices to the modern world, the tradition itself is protected. Continuity is not about repeating the past unchanged, but about caring for it properly so it can endure.
“Windsor was her”
One of the most affecting moments comes when Prince William speaks of the late Queen Elizabeth II, saying simply, “Windsor was her.” There is softness in the phrase. Love. Endearment. A sense of place not as backdrop, but as identity.
Windsor is not remote history. It is history that can be touched. Guests who have spent a day with us often struggle to articulate the feeling, but they recognise it immediately. As one guest once put it, it is “history felt right in the bones.”
This episode of The Reluctant Traveller at Windsor Castle captures that feeling beautifully.
A warm invitation not just to a pub or a palace, but to a way of experiencing place that values continuity, curiosity, and care in equal measure.
Windsor has a way of doing that. It stays with you — not loudly, but with a sense of familiarity that settles quietly and refuses to rush away.
If you have not yet watched this episode of The Reluctant Traveller, it is well worth your time. What stayed with me most was the conversation itself — the ease with which Prince William spoke, the lack of performance, and the sense of quiet confidence in his role.
Working on the estate, we are familiar with this side of Windsor — the humanity behind the formality. The quiet ease of daily life continues alongside ceremony. Small, unremarkable moments that remind you people remain at the heart of it all.
Seeing that same ease reflected on screen felt less like a revelation and more like a recognition. Windsor shared, just as it is.
