The Best Royal Attractions in England

The Tower of London is famous as a symbol of awe and fear, and for its security. Add in the Crown Jewels, ravens bound by legend and the Yeomen Warders, or Beefeaters as they are better known, and this is a royal visit you don’t want to miss. The reverence and refuge felt at the Tower is the work of William the Conqueror, who built the White Tower at the centre following his successful invasion of England in the 1000s. The broader layout of these fortifications was added 200 years later by King Henry III and King Edward I.

Legends of the Tower

The building is iconic in the central London landscape, but there is much more to the Tower than first meets the eye. No fortification comes without a bloody past – the Tower of London is the infamous location of the murder of King Henry VI and the mysterious disappearance of King Edward IV’s sons, the Princes in the Tower. For hundreds of years, the Tower has served as a prison for society’s very top and bottom. The most famous residents ‘sent to the tower’ include two of Henry VIII’s wives, Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard, the ‘Nine Days’ Queen’ Lady Jane Grey and the Gunpowder Plotter Guy Fawkes. Today, the ghosts of those who suffered the Tower’s fate are said to haunt it still.

Another legend of the Tower of London is the tower ravens. The kingdom and Tower will fall if the six ravens leave the Tower of London.

The Crown Jewels

More tangible but no less tied to the spirit of the Tower of London are the Crown Jewels. On display at the Tower since the Coronation of King Charles II more than 350 years ago, the Crown Jewels are still used by the monarch today. We can arrange pre-opening private tours for your clients of the Crown Jewels with a knowledgeable guide, with the option to continue behind the scenes after hours to discover the ‘Secrets of the Tower’ on a tour with a Yeoman Warder, including the Ceremony of the Keys. This nightly tradition has been performed every night for over 700 years.

Buckingham Palace was built for the Duke of Buckingham, a now-extinct peerage, in the early 1700s. King George III, ‘the Mad King’, acquired the house in 1761 for his new wife, Queen Charlotte. This was the start of the palace’s association with the British monarchy. Almost a century later, Queen Victoria was the first royal to make Buckingham Palace her official London residence. The tradition of the British monarch living in the palace continues to this day with King Charles III.

Buckingham Palace Tours

See how the British monarch lives on a private Buckingham Palace tour. Soak up the splendour of the State Rooms with an experienced guide before heading behind the scenes at the Royal Mews. Your clients will get up close and personal with the working royal stables. There is also the chance to see the livery and carriage horses, as well as the iconic Gold State Coach. Perhaps surprisingly for a palace at the heart of the UK’s capital, Buckingham Palace boasts a splendid garden which is not be missed. Here, you’ll find the Queen’s Gallery, which can be viewed privately out of hours. No matter which tour you choose, you can be sure it will be unforgettable. Don’t forget to check the times for the Changing of the Guard for the perfect experience.

Highclere Castle is in the Chiltern Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Just a two-hour drive from central London, Highclere offers a different royal connection than others on this list. Still, only a few other privately-owned residences provide such an insight into the upstairs-downstairs life of 19th century England.

The Foundation of Canada

Built in the late 1600s, the impressive facade of Highclere Castle that stands today is the result of a renovation in the mid-1800s. The 1800s was a pivotal time for Highclere, and it was here, in the 1860s, that the 4th Earl of Carnarvon helped draft the British North America Act of 1867. Receiving Royal Assent on 29th March 1867, this act led to the establishment of Canada. A maple tree was planted at Highclere in 2018 to recognise the role of the 4th Earl in Canada’s foundation.

Highclere in the 20th Century

Not to be overshadowed by his predecessor, the 5th Earl of Carnarvon employed Howard Carter to find the tomb of Tutankhamun. The expedition was successful, and in 1922 Carter discovered the largely intact tomb of the pharaoh. Shortly before this, Highclere served as a military hospital for troops wounded in the First World War. King George V and his wife, Queen Mary, visited the soldiers at Highclere in 1917.

Downton Abbey

Viewers of the hit TV series Downton Abbey will remember a similar scene from the show’s second season. The use of Highclere Castle as the filming location for Downton Abbey ultimately saved this huge house from ruin. It made it the iconic destination it is today. Still in the private ownership of, and lived in by, the 8th Earl and Countess of Carnarvon, Highclere offers incredible State Rooms, bedrooms and an Egyptian exhibition to visitors. Let us arrange a taste of life as the Carnarvons, and Crawleys, would have known it with a private, out-of-hours tour of Highclere Castle, tailored to the group’s interests. With an experienced guide on hand to answer every question, this is an experience to remember. Top it off with a stroll through perhaps Capability Brown’s best-known landscape.

There are said to be around 4,000 castles in England. Nestled on the northern edge of the golden Cotswolds, Sudeley Castle is the only privately owned castle in the country to have a queen buried on its grounds. This is Catherine Parr, the sixth wife of King Henry VIII. Catherine was Henry’s last wife, and one of only two of his wives to outlive him (Henry’s fourth wife, Anne of Cleeves, also survived him). After Henry’s death, Catherine married her love, Thomas Seymour. Seymour was the brother of Henry VIII’s third wife, Jane Seymour, and their marriage soon after Henry’s death caused a scandal. The couple lived at Sudeley Castle, and it was here that she died during childbirth in 1648.

Royal Visits at Sudeley Castle

Catherine Parr is not the only royal connection with Sudeley Castle. In the 1500s, a century after the castle was built, the Crown seized Sudeley. The Castle became the property of King Edward IV and, later, King Richard III, before King Edward VII gifted it to his uncle. King Henry VIII visited Sudeley in 1535 with his second wife, Anne Boleyn, and their daughter, Queen Elizabeth I, on multiple occasions. Sudeley also hosted a visit from King George III, and the castle was used as a refuge by King Charles I during the English Civil War.

Discover more about the swirling past of this ancient castle on a tour of the castle. Private talks are available to help you uncover more about the history of Sudeley, the magnificent gardens and the fascinating architecture of the building.

Another property with a more subtle royal connection, Castle Howard is an impressive sprawl of country house on the southern tip of the North York Moors National Park. Built in the 1700s, the house is known as a castle as it was built on the site of an earlier castle!

Castle Howard on Film and TV

Fans of the silver screen will recognise Castle Howard as the filming location for many hits of the TV and film, including Death Comes to Pemberley, the ITV series Victoria. Most recently, it stood in for the Duke of Hasting’s home, Clyvden Castle, in the Netflix adaptation of Bridgerton. However, Castle Howard is perhaps best known as the filming location of Brideshead Revisited.

Castle Howard Tours

Step into the screen and discover the rich history of Castle Howard on a range of exciting tours, including a talk on Queen Victoria’s visit to the house in 1850 and the use of the property as a filming location.