 Windsor was not initially used as a royal residence ; the early Norman kings preferred to use the former palace of Edward the Confessor in the village of Old Windsor . The first king to use Windsor Castle as a residence was Henry I , who celebrated Whitsuntide at the castle in 1110 during a period of heightened insecurity . Henry 's marriage to Adela , the daughter of Godfrey of Louvain , took place in the castle in 1121 . During this period the keep suffered a substantial collapse – archaeological evidence shows that the southern side of the motte subsided by over 6 ft ( 2 m ) . Timber piles were driven in to support the motte and the old wooden keep was replaced with a new stone shell keep , with a probable gateway to the north @-@ east and a new stone well . A chemise , or low protective wall , was subsequently added to the keep . 
