Thursday, April 10, 2014

A peek inside the British royal residences

Buckingham Palace

Buckingham Palace
With the arrival of the royal baby, the media spotlight is firmly fixed on the British monarchy. But while very few people will be part of this royal event, many of the House of Windsor’s favourite retreats, castles and palaces around Britain are open to the public, giving you the chance to live their charmed life for a day.
The only place to start your royal tour is at SW1A 1AA, London’s most exclusive postcode and the regal residence that everyone wants to see. Every summer, Buckingham Palace opens to visitors, and the highlight this year is the 50th anniversary exhibition of the Queen’s coronation. Legend has it that the Queen’s robes were so heavy that at the start of the 1953 ceremony she asked the Archbishop of Canterbury to give her a push, saying “Get me started!” On a tour of the 19 state rooms you can see the Throne Room, used for ceremonial receptions, and even an exclusive cash-dispensing machine from Coutts, the royals bank.
Kensington Palace
Located on the western fringes of London’s Hyde Park, the birthplace and childhood home of Queen Victoria is one of the most stunning royal residences in Britain. Kensington Palace started life as a homely country mansion bought for £20,000 in 1689 by William III and Mary II, but it quickly became a favourite among the monarchy. The palace was the home of the Queen’s late sister Princess Margaret, as well as Prince Charles and Princess Diana, and is the official London residence of Prince William, Princess Catherine and Prince Harry. If that was not enough to keep the servants busy, Phillips uses it on an unofficial basis, as do the extended members of the royal brood. On a visit, climb the King’s Staircase, explore the King’s and Queen’s State Apartments (pictured) and roam the newly revamped multi-million pound gardens

The Palace of HolyroodhouseThe Palace of Holyroodhouse
Her Majesty’s official Scottish residence, Edinburgh’s Palace of Holyroodhouse has entertained Scotland’s most famous monarchs over the years, including James V, Bonnie Prince Charlie and Mary, Queen of Scots. But modern royals do things slightly differently. At the wedding reception of the Queen’s granddaughter Zara Phillips and Mike Tindall in 2011, guests including Prince Harry knocked back shots from a vodka fountain and nipped out for takeaway fish and chips on the adjacent Canongate high street. The palace itself is home to the State Apartments, used by the Queen on her visits to the Scottish capital, and the Great Gallery, hung with Jacob de Wet's portraits of the real and legendary kings of Scotland.
The Goring Hotel

The Goring Hotel
Just a stone’s throw from Buckingham Palace – not that you would want to be caught throwing stones in this neighbourhood – is The Goring Hotel, located on a quiet residential street in Belgravia. The century-old hotel has long been a royal favourite; the late Queen Mother used to visit for afternoon tea, and her husband King George VI and a teenage Queen Elizabeth II came for sausages and scrambled eggs to celebrate the end of World War II.
Before committing herself to William in 2011, Kate Middleton and her family took over the 71-room hotel and presumably enjoyed the celebrated five-star treatment and afternoon tea. If you fancy splashing out, rooms cost from £375, with £5,000 getting you the royal suite the now Duchess of Cambridge stayed in for the night
Balmoral Estate





Balmoral Estate
While you are never likely to rest your head on a fluffy bedroom pillow at Buckingham Palace or Windsor Castle, it is possible to rent a room at several other royal residences. The Queen lets houses for holidays at her Balmoral Estate in Scotland (pictured), and luxury accommodation is available at Charles and Camilla’s eco-friendly home on the Llwynywormwood Estate in Wales. It is also possible to rent a pavilion cottage on the grounds of Osborne House, the former royal retreat on the Isle of Wight. Queen Victoria said it was “impossible to imagine a prettier spot”. 
Hampton Court Palace

Hampton Court Palace
The pick of the bunch, however, is Henry VIII’s Hampton Court Palace near Richmond in southwest London, where you can rent an apartment in the palace’s Tudor Wing or in the Georgian House
Hampton Court Palace


Hampton Court Palace
Her Majesty has been known to broadcast her Christmas Message to the nation from the onsite Chapel Royal – so book ahead for 25 December
Royal Yacht Britannia

Royal Yacht Britannia
It may not be a traditional royal residence, but the Royal Yacht Britannia has a unique distinction: it is the Queen’s favourite. “Britannia is the one place where I can truly relax,” said Her Majesty, of the 60-year-old boat that is now permanently docked as a visitor attraction in Edinburgh. 
Royal Yacht Britannia
Royal Yacht Britannia
The yacht proudly served the royal family for 40 years, sailing more than one million nautical miles. Four royal honeymoons also took place on board, including that of Prince Charles and Princess Diana. Perhaps the most interesting fact is that the ship undertook 968 official visits, including for the handover of Hong Kong in 1997. It was all a breeze for Her Majesty, of course, as she’s the only person in Britain who is not required to have a passport to travel internationally. Pictured here is the State Room
The Castle of Mey SCotland

The Castle of Mey
Also known as The Queen Mother’s Home in Caithness, the tiny Castle of Mey on Scotland’s north coast is the most northerly in Britain. Though it is not easy to get to, that never stopped the late Queen Mother – she made regular stops at the residence after first visiting in 1952, while mourning the death of her husband, King George VI.
A green-fingered gardener, she renovated the gardens that visitors can see today, and could often be seen watering the flowers. The highlight of a castle tour is seeing how the royals spent their holidays, for the furnishings are still set out as the Queen Mother had it. 
Kew Palace
Kew Palace
The smallest and most intimate of the royal palaces is perhaps most famous for the “madness” of King George III – the 18th-century king retreated to the grounds to battle mental illness. It was something that confounded his royal court, but a story that hit box-office gold when the episode was turned into a film in the 1990sKew Palace England
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Kew Palace, restored to what it might have been when King George lived there, is an easy trip from central London to its River Thames location. So close, in fact, that Her Majesty popped in to celebrate her 80th birthday in 2006. Although the palace is not lived in anymore, it is open to the public to see what life was like in Georgian times.




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