The Herald - The Herald Magazine
London’s royal palaces
THE Royal Family certainly had a jam-packed diary in the past year: births, engagements, weddings, you name it. On a recent trip to London, I found myself in conversation with quite a few overseas visitors – many from North America who had specifically come to the UK because of the Royals. With my interest piqued, this inspired me to look again at London and assess what they bring to our tourism industry.
I suppose it’s something that many of us take for granted – the plethora of castles, palaces and ancient, historic buildings in London, but if you come from the New World the history, pomp and circumstance – and, indeed, the sheer age of it all – is quite overwhelming.
Add in the current media obsession with the young Royals and… well, it has certainly fuelled a wave of tourism. VisitBritain reckons that visitor figures linked to royal residences such as Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle add up to 2.7 million visitors a year.
I chose Windsor Castle as my first port of call. I did it in style by using Black Cab Tours. What a blast – your very own black cab and guide/driver for the day – in my case the lovely Paul Murphy. (Such schadenfreude to drive past all the suited and booted trying to flag us down…).
It’s a real treat to have a knowledgeable London cabbie who is also a tour guide accredited by the City University. Great craic plus new quirky facts.
Bespoke tours of Windsor and Hampton Court with Black Cab Heritage Tours can be booked via Touriocity (touriocity.com) and half-day private tours from central London are from £385 for up to six people. It’s worth it.
Widely accepted as one of England’s most beautiful buildings, the chapel at Windsor has played a part in royal life for centuries, and has hosted countless royal weddings since the mid-1800s.
Windsor Castle is the Queen’s favourite residence, and the state apartments are stunning. Frequently used by the Royal Family for private events, go soon and you can see Meghan Markle’s dress and where she and Prince Harry tied the knot last year.
Suitably royal-charged by now, I then followed this with a trip to St Paul’s Cathedral where, of course, Prince Charles married Lady Diana Spencer in 1981. Sir Christopher Wren’s masterpiece still has that wow factor.
If you’re fit and have a head for heights, climb the 259 steps to the top of the dome and enjoy one of the best views of the London skyline. What a truly magnificent
work of architecture it is. Kensington Palace, however, didn’t thrill as much. It was rammed with tourists and groups of Diana-obsessed grannies who were six-deep in front of the cases containing her most iconic outfits.
But then, Westminster Abbey had to be done. And it is impressive, what with Poet’s Corner and all the great and the good buried there, but the crowds were fierce. It felt like every school in London and environs had sent their little high-vis clad sweeties to visit that day (when did that become yet another health and safety condition of transporting a small child to an educational experience?).
Anyway, if you’re going, go early.
I didn’t.
The Tower of London is another highlight.
It has seen life as a palace, prison, armoury and even a zoo (that bit was weird…)
With a history dating from the Norman Conquest, it has undergone extensive restoration over the centuries, including damage from the Blitz. William Wallace was taken from the tower to his death.
The Beefeaters are tasked with the job of
guarding the Crown Jewels, as well as acting as tour guides.
Given how many times a day they’re asked to pose for photos with exuberant tourists, I just hope they get a weekly allowance of Valium.
The highlight of this entire submersion in all things Royal, however, was Hampton Court. One day is simply not enough. It’s such a fantastic place to visit for a history buff like yours truly.
One of the many residences of Henry VIII, Hampton Court Palace is only one of two of his palaces that are still intact (the other being St James’ Palace). After nicking this incredible building from Cardinal Wolsey in 1514, Henry further extended, developed, landscaped and furnished the palace with tapestries, artefacts and paintings.
Over the centuries, royal occupants have continued to add to the royal residence, with William III trying to make it rival the Palace of Versailles in Paris.
It is two palaces in one, and the grounds are magnificent. Just give yourself plenty time.