In the Footsteps of the Royals
Attractions fit for a King - or a Queen...
Walmer Castle, Kent: Queen Mother's Birthday Present
Walmer Castle & Gardens, just a short drive from Dover, has everything you need for a quintessentially English day out: coast and countryside, a furnished home, glorious gardens and royal connections to trace.
Originally built during the reign of Henry VIII, it has evolved into an elegant home and residence of the Lords Warden of the Cinque Ports.
HM Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother was Lord Warden for 24 years and enjoyed many summers here. See where she entertained and relax in the delightful garden created for Her Majesty's 95th birthday.
Dover Castle, Kent: King Henry II
Visit Dover Castle and step inside a world of royal power and murderous ambition.
King Henry II's Great Tower was built to impress high-ranking pilgrims on their way to the shrine to Thomas Becket at Canterbury Cathedral. It now displays a uniquely vibrant, technicolour recreation of a medieval palace.
Come and follow a trail of royal ambition and saintly sacrifice and travel between Dover Castle and Canterbury Cathedral. Don't miss St Augustine’s Abbey, part of the Canterbury World Heritage Site and burial place of the Kentish Kings.
Osborne House, Isle of Wight: The Greatest Love of All
Osborne House offers an intimate glimpse into the private family life of Britain’s longest reigning monarch.
Queen Victoria's love and adoration for her husband Prince Albert has been well-chronicled, especially through recent films such as The Young Victoria. Osborne was the couple's favourite holiday residence, where the famously in-love royals experienced some of their happiest times.
Another fascinating site on the island is Carisbrooke Castle whose past inhabitants include Charles I, imprisoned here before his trial and execution; and Queen Victoria's youngest daughter Princess Beatrice, the inspiration for the wonderful new Edwardian-style garden.
Kenilworth Castle, Warwickshire: The Ultimate Romantic Rumour
Kenilworth Castle and Elizabethan Garden is one of the most spectacular castle ruins in England. The castle is best known as the home of Robert Dudley, the great love of Queen Elizabeth I.
The newly re-created Elizabethan garden, lost for 400 years, is now open to visitors once more. A paradise for garden lovers, wander through this sumptuous landscape as Queen Elizabeth I would have done herself.
More Royal Connections
