Windsor Castle sits about 25 miles west of central London in Berkshire and has been an English royal residence since its construction after the Norman conquest in the 11th century. It was built as a motte-and-bailey fortress to project Norman power and guard the Thames. Henry I used it from the early 12th century, and it is considered the longest-occupied palace in Europe. Over centuries it was extended by Henry III, Edward III, Charles II and George IV, producing the Georgian state apartments and St George's Chapel. During the Civil War it held Charles I as a prisoner, and during the Second World War the royal family sheltered there. It remains a major royal venue and tourist attraction.

Hampi is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Karnataka, India, with more than 1,600 surviving remains spread over 4,100 hectares. It was the capital of the Vijayanagara Empire from 1336 to 1565. Travellers from Persia and Portugal described it as a prosperous, wealthy and grand city with temples, markets and farms along the Tungabhadra River. By 1500 it was estimated to be the world's second-largest city after Beijing, and probably India's richest at the time. In 1565 a coalition of Muslim sultanates defeated the Vijayanagara Empire, its capital was conquered and destroyed, and the city was left in ruins. Hampi remains a religious centre, with the active Virupaksha Temple at its heart.