London’s Castles and Palaces

A visit to The Tower of London is like walking through a book of stories. Here are just some of the chapters I will bring to life….

  • Crown Jewels and the lost Crown Jewels
  • Shed a tear for executed English queens
  • Lions and a polar bear fit for a king
  • Don’t forsake the Ravens if you want to save England
  • King Henry VIII’s love armour and a failed diet
  • Murdered princes in the Tower return to Westminster Abbey
  • Traitors lose their heads and some die laughing
  • KENSINGTON PALACE

Kensington Palace, situated in Kensington Gardens just west of Hyde Park in Central London, is the perfect place for me to recount stories of royal history and royal reality. This was home to the late Stuart kings and queens, early Georgian kings of the 1700s, the birthplace of Queen Victoria and the home of Diana, Princess of Wales. It is also a real royal residence in the 21st century – let’s find out more together. Did Captain Hook also live here I wonder?

  • HAMPTON COURT

Want to escape the bustle of central London? Let’s take a short train ride train to visit a real Tudor palace – the favourite home of King Henry VIII where 100s were served huge lunches and dinners every day and where for centuries princes (and princesses no doubt) played Real Tennis. King Charles II wanted to recreate his own Palace of Versailles in the late 1660s with beautiful gardens and even a maze to amaze you! Let’s talk about the history of pudding together! No need to go to Versailles in Paris – we have elegant French gardens here in south west London.

  • WINDSOR CASTLE

The world’s oldest and largest inhabited castle in the world – yes this is a living breathing castle in the 21st century with a real king and queen, guards and a royal court. The magnificent St George’s Chapel is also the venue of the 2018 royal wedding between Prince Harry and Megan Markle. Let me make this a special visit for you by putting Windsor at the heart of Britain and its rich history. So why is a blue garter and an old French term Honi Soit Qui Mal y Pense so fundamental as a symbol of the UK?

This is another train ride for about an hour to the west of London.