London's Royal Connections

Ever since the coronation of William I in Westminster Abbey (1066), London has been hailed as the ‘Royal Capital’ of England. Following the Norman Conquest, London has also been the seat of English government.

Successive British Monarchs and their families have left their mark on the capital. From beautiful and ornate homes to places of historical significance there is plenty to explore in London with a Royal Connection.

Royal Residences of Today’s Monarchy
Residences of Monarchs Past
Interesting Buildings with Royal Connections

ROYAL RESIDENCES OF TODAY’S MONARCHY

Buckingham Palace
Kensington Palace
Clarence House
Windsor Castle
St James’s Palace

Buckingham Palace

The official London residence of British sovereigns since 1837 and current home to HM Queen Elizabeth II. Buckingham Palace is regularly used for official events and receptions and is one of London’s best-known landmarks.

Visitors are invited to explore the State Rooms of Buckingham Palace during the Annual Summer Opening. The State Rooms are still used by the Royal family to receive and entertain guests on state and ceremonial occasions. Decorated in lavish fashion, they include paintings by Rembrandt, Rubens and Canaletto, Sévres porcelain and some of the finest English and French furniture in the world. Enjoy a stroll around the Palace’s 42 acre garden where you can see the 19th century lake and Garden Front of the Palace.

The Changing of the Guard takes place daily between April and July outside Buckingham Palace at 11:30am and on alternate days for the rest of the year, weather permitting.

VISITOR INFORMATION:
Open: 5 Aug-29 Sep 2002. Timed tickets operate between 09:30-16:30.
Station: Green Park Tube.
Box Office: 020 7321 2233, tickets can also be bought on the day in Green Park.
Entrance: Adult: £ 11.50, Students and Snr Citizens: £9.50, Child: £6.00, Under 5s: FREE.

History of Buckingham Palace

Whilst at Buckingham Palace you can visit:
The Royal Mews
The Queen’s Gallery

Kensington Palace

The birthplace of Queen Victoria, Kensington Palace was also home to Princess Diana between 1981-1997. Very much a working Royal residence, Kensington Palace is currently home to the offices and private apartments of several members of the Royal Family – Princess Alice, The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, The Duke and Duchess of Kent and Prince and Princess Michael of Kent. The late Princess Margaret used to live at Kensington Palace.

Although a working residence, you can visit parts of Kensington Palace. Visitors can access the State Apartments, the Royal Ceremonial Dress Collection that includes outfits from the eighteenth-century to the present day, the Orangery and sunken gardens,.

VISITOR INFORMATION:
Open: daily, 10:00-17:00 (Mar-Oct).
Station: Queensway, Notting Hill Gate or High Street Kensington Tube.
Information: 020 7937 9561.
Entrance: £10.00 adults, £7.50 Students and Snr Citizens, Child: £6.50 Under 5s: FREE.

Click here for history of Kensington Palace

Clarence House

Best known as the London home of the late Queen Mother, Clarence House was built for William Duke of Clarence, by John Nash between 1825-28. It has undergone various extensions and refurbishment, particularly following bomb damage endured in the Second World War. Princess Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh lived in Clarence House until her accession to the Throne in 1952. Their second child, Princess Anne, was born here in 1950. The house became the focal point for floral tributes and mementoes in the wake of the Queen Mother’s death on 30 March 2002.

Members of the public cannot visit Clarence House, but you can enjoy splendid views of the property from The Mall. It is widely believed that HRH The Prince of Wales will move into Clarence House following the death of the Queen Mother.

Windsor Castle

Reputedly the largest occupied castle in the world, William the Conqueror chose to build a castle at Windsor more than 900 years ago to defend the western approach to the capital. As one of the Queen's official residences Windsor Castle still plays a formal role in State and official occasions. The Royal Lodge at Windsor became home to HM The Queen when she was just 6 years old. The Queen Mother passed away in the Royal Lodge at Windsor on 30 March 2002.

Visitors can marvel at St George's Chapel,, which was founded by George IV back in 1475 and is one of the best examples of gothic architecture in the country. Prince Edward and Sophie Rhys-Jones were married there in June 1999. It is also the burial site for 10 sovereigns. Equally stunning is St George's Hall, which has been completely restored following a fire in 1992 and is still used by the Queen for state banquets and receptions.

The State Apartments are also open to the public and are lavishly furnished with paintings by Rubens, Holbein and Rembrandt, sculpture and tapestries. In the Drawings Gallery, visitors have an opportunity to see artwork from the Royal Library and Queen Mary's Dolls' House will delight everyone with its perfect rooms and furnishings in miniature. Built on a scale of 1:12 the dolls' house was crafted in the 1920s.

VISITOR INFORMATION:
Open: daily 09:45-17:15 (Mar-Oct) 09:45-16:15 (Nov-Feb). During 2002 the castle is closed: 17 June and 25-26 Dec. Occasionally the State Rooms are closed. Please call in advance.
Station: Windsor from Waterloo or Paddington (Train info. 08457 484950).
Information: 01753 831118.
Entrance: Adult: £11.50, Snr Citizens: £9.50, Child: £6.00, Under 5s: FREE

St James’s Palace

Built between 1532 and 1540 for Henry VIII on the site of the Hospital of St James, St James’s Palace has been a royal residence for over 300 years. Past residents include Queen Anne, Elizabeth I and Charles I. Today HRH The Prince of Wales, Princess Alexandra and her husband Sir Angus Ogilvy have their London residences in the Palace.

St James’s Palace has earned its place in history – Mary Tudor signed the treaty to surrender Calais here, Elizabeth I was living here when the Spanish Armada got underway and Charles I was locked up here before his execution in 1649. Handel was appointed the composer of music for the Chapel Royal in 1723 by George II. It was here that he composed ‘Zadok the Priest’ for George II’s coronation. In 1997, the coffin of Diana, Princess of Wales lay in the Chapel Royal before her funeral in Westminster Abbey.

As the Palace is constantly in use, it is not possible to visit. However, you can get a good view of the exterior from Pall Mall and Marlborough Road, SW1.

The Royal Mews

The Royal Mews form part of Buckingham Palace and house the carriages and horses used by the Queen and the Royal Family for state and ceremonial occasions. A visit provides an opportunity to see the royal household department in action. For much of the year, the stables are also home to 30 horses who serve the Queen on official duty, when required. The horses are Cleveland Bay and Windsor Greys.

Visitors can also see the Gold state coach which is used for coronation and state visits, weddings and the state opening of parliament.

VISITOR INFORMATION:
Open: Mon-Sunday, 11:00-16:00, 30 March-31 October 2002. Closed 1, 4, 8 and 15 June 2002.
Station: Victoria, Green Park or St James's Park Tube
Box Office: 020 7321 2233
Entrance: £5.00 adults, £4.00 over 60s, £2.50 under 17s, under 5s FREE, £12.50 family.

Queen's Gallery
Having undergone a major refurbishment project worth £10million, the Queen's Gallery re-opens on 22 May 2002. As part of the Queen's Golden Jubilee celebrations, it will host an exhibition called Royal Treasures.

The most significant change is the addition of a Doric Portico entrance in the Greek classical style, which gives the gallery its own identity.

VISITOR INFORMATION:
Open: daily 22 May 2002 – 12 January 2003
Box Office: 020 7321 2233
Station: Green Park Tube
Entrance: Adult: £6.50, over 60s: £5.00, under 17s: £3.00, under 5s: FREE,
Family £16.00

RESIDENCES OF MONARCHS PAST:

Tower of London
Palace of Westminster
Eltham Palace
Banqueting House
Hampton Court Palace

Tower of London

The Tower is one of London's most popular visitor attractions and forms a stunning riverside backdrop. The Tower of London came into existence following the Norman conquest (1066) and the need to colonise and defend England. Since then it has been used as a prison, palace, place of execution and a showcase for the Crown Jewels.

After King Henry VIII's break with the Catholic Church it housed religious prisoners including two of Henry VIII's six wives - Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard, both of whom were beheaded on the scaffolds at Tower Green.

Visitors can see the Crown Jewels, which are still used by the Royal family today, plus a special exhibition on the making of the Crown Jewels. Meet the Yeoman Warders ('Beefeaters') who have been protecting the tower since the fourteenth-century and the infamous ravens. Legend has it that Charles II was told that if the ravens left the Tower then the monarchy would fall. The Medieval Palace allows you to step back in time and see how the Tower was used as a royal residence. Costumed interpreters bring the dramatic stories to life. Many prisoners arrived via Traitor’s Gate before being executed on Tower Green. Anne Boleyn’s final resting place was the Chapel Royal – visitors are invited to join services inside.

VISITOR INFORMATION:
Open: daily 09:00-17:00 Mon-Sat, 10:00-17:00 Sun (Mar-Oct).
09:00-16:00 Tues-Sat 10:00-16:00 Sun-Mon (Nov-Feb).
Closed 24-26 Dec and 1 Jan.
Station: Tower Hill Tube
Information: 020 7709 0765.
Entrance: £11.50 adults, £8.75 students and senior citizens, £7.50 under 15s, under 5s FREE, £34.00 family.

Palace of Westminster

Now more commonly known as the Houses of Parliament, the Palace of Westminster began life as a royal residence in 1042 under Edward the Confessor. The major structure to survive various fires, Westminster Hall, was built between 1087-1100 and is one of the largest medieval halls in Europe with an unsupported hammerbeam roof. The Queen Mother lay in state in Westminster Hall recently, allowing members of the public to pay their last respects. During the fourteenth-century the hall housed shops and stalls selling wigs, pens and other legal equipment and the courts of law met there. Thomas More, Charles I and those accused of trying to blow up parliament (1605) were all tried in Westminster Hall.

Following a fire in 1512, Henry VIII decided to abandon the palace and from this moment onwards it became home to the two seats of parliament - the Commons and the Lords. However, it was to suffer from another disastrous fire in 1834 and everything was lost except Westminster Hall and the Jewel Tower. A competition was launched to redevelop the whole site. Sir Charles Barry was responsible for the mock gothic building that has become such a familiar landmark today; including the Clock Tower that houses Big Ben, the bell that chimes on the hour, and is home to the largest clock face in the country.

Members of the public can watch debates when parliament is in session. You don't need tickets in advance, but may have to queue. For the chance to watch Prime Minister's Question Time, you will need to obtain tickets in advance from a member of parliament (British citizen) or from your consulate or High Commission. For more information call the Public Information Office on 020 7219 3000.

VISITOR INFORMATION:
Open: 3 August – 28 September 2002, Monday – Saturday. First tour 09:15, last tour 16:30.
Station: Westminster Tube
Information: 020 7344 9966
Entrance: £7 adults, £3.50 concessions
Tours in French, German, Spanish or Italian: £9 adults, £5.50 concessions

Click here to buy online

Eltham Palace

Recently restored by English Heritage, this fantastic house offers visitors the chance to indulge in the opulence of 1930s Britain and step back in time to medieval London. Eltham Palace began to evolve during the fifteenth-century when Edward IV commissioned the Great Hall, which survives today as a testament to the craftsmanship of the period. It boasts the third largest hammerbeam roof in the country and hosted many royal occasions including Christmas festivities for Henry VIII who grew up at Eltham Palace.

Henry VIII was the last monarch to spend significant time at Eltham Palace and it then fell into disrepair. Many of the buildings were demolished and the site was used as a farm. In the 1930s a wealthy couple acquired the site, on the understanding that they would repair and maintain the medieval Great Hall. They added a stunning 1930s house, equipped to meet their every need, which boasted unique interior design and furnishings, coupled with the latest technology. This Art Deco masterpiece evokes the style and glamour of the '30s and is complimented by lush landscaped gardens, including a moated area, the remains of Henry VIII's hunting park and a sunken rose garden.

Visitors can enjoy the fascinating blend of medieval and modern design in the 1930s house and the Great Hall; explore the gardens and moated area and have tea in the 1930s kitchens.

VISITOR INFORMATION:
Open: Wed-Fri and Sun. CLOSED Mon, Tues and Sat.
10:00-18:00 (Apr-Sep) 10:00-17:00 (Oct) 10:00-16:00 (Nov-Mar).
Closed 23 Dec - 1 February 2003.
Station: Eltham or Mottingham Rail from Charing Cross or Victoria (20mins).
Information: 020 8294 2548.
Entrance: £6.20 adults, £4.70 concessions, £3.10 children, under 5s & EH members: FREE

For Special Events at Eltham Palace in 2002, click here

Banqueting House

The Banqueting House is the only surviving section of Whitehall Palace - which in its heyday was the largest royal palace in Europe. The palace started life in the fourteenth-century as one of the Archbishop of York's homes, but was seized by Henry VIII in the 1520s and extended dramatically. Henry VIII also built tennis courts, a tiltyard and other facilities on land opposite the palace (St James’s Park).

When James I came to the throne (1603) he replaced the dilapidated Banqueting House in the palace with a new construction designed for entertaining and holding 'masques'. Masques were a cross between a ball, theatrical play and fancy dress party and were very popular in James I's reign. After a disastrous fire the Banqueting House was immediately rebuilt by the architect Inigo Jones (1622). Jones is often credited as being the first Englishman to properly understand and apply the rules of classical and renaissance architecture. Whitehall Palace was destroyed by fire in 1698 and the surviving Banqueting House eventually became a royal chapel.

Today, the Banqueting House is open to visitors and also hosts many royal and social occasions. Visitors can admire the architecture and the fabulous Ruben's ceiling painting commissioned by Charles I which is the only Rubens scheme painted by him to remain in its original position. The Banqueting House was also the setting for Charles I's execution during the English Civil War (1642-49).

VISITOR INFORMATION:
Open: daily 10:00-17:00 Monday-Saturday.
Closed Bank Holidays and 24 Dec-1 Jan inclusive. It may also close at short notice for government functions.
Station: Westminster or Embankment Tube
Information: 020 7839 3787.
Entrance: £4.00 adults, £3.00 students and snr citizens, £2.60 under 16s, under 5s: FREE.

Hampton Court Palace

Hampton Court Palace is strongly associated with the reign of Henry VIII and is the oldest surviving Tudor palace in England. Work began in the 1520s when Hampton Court was transformed from an agricultural estate with the addition of new kitchens, lodgings and gardens. All of Henry VIII's six wives stayed at Hampton Court where Henry VIII lavished £62,000 (the equivalent of £18million today) on extending the Palace. In the seventeenth-century William III commissioned Sir Christopher Wren to rebuild Hampton Court but lack of time and money meant that much of the Tudor Palace survived.

Visitors will enjoy Henry VIII's State Apartments, fantastic Baroque and Tudor architecture, the Tudor Kitchens and 60 acres of garden featuring the famous maze.

VISITOR INFORMATION:
Open: daily 10:15-18:00 Mon, 09:30-18:00 Tues-Sun (Apr-Oct).
10:15-16:30 Mon, 09:30-16:30 Tues-Sun (Nov-Mar).
Closed 24-26 Dec.
Station: Hampton Court Rail from Waterloo.
River: Services run from Westminster, Richmond and Kingston.
Information: 020 8781 9500.
Entrance: £11.00 adults, £8.25 students and snr citizens, under 16s £7.25, under 5s FREE, family £33.00

BUILDINGS WITH ROYAL CONNECTIONS:

Westminster Abbey
St Paul’s Cathedral
Royal Opera House
Royal Academy of Arts

Westminster Abbey

One of Europe's finest Gothic buildings and the scene of coronations, marriages and burials of British monarchs. HM The Queen was married to HRH The Duke of Edinburgh in the Abbey on 20 November 1947. Her Coronation took place here a few years later on 2 June 1953. Broadcast around the world, the coronation was attended by peers, Prime Ministers and leading citizens of Commonwealth countries. More recently, HRH The Duke of York was married to Sarah Ferguson in Westminster Abbey on 23 July 1986. On a sadder note, Princess Diana’s funeral was held in the Abbey on 6 September 1997.

Westminster Abbey dates back to the 11th century and is the burial place for several Monarchs, including Henry VII, Queen Elizabeth I, James I, Charles II and William III. Other highlights include the Coronation Chair made for Edward I in 1300, Poets' Corner where Chaucer is buried, and the Tomb of the Unknown Warrior.

VISITOR INFORMATION:
Open: for sightseeing Monday-Friday 09:00–16:45 and Saturday mornings 0900 - 1445, Sundays for worship only.
Station: Westminster Tube
Information: 020 7222 7110
Entrance: £6.00 adults, £3.00 concessions, under 11s FREE, £12.00 family

St Paul’s Cathedral

Designed and built by Sir Christopher Wren in the 1690s, St Paul’s is one of the world’s most famous cathedrals. Lord Nelson, who led the British Navy to victory against France and Spain in the Battle of Trafalgar, is buried here, along with Wren. In 1901 the cathedral held a memorial service for Queen Victoria, Martin Luther King preached at St Paul’s in 1964 and in 1965 Sir Winston Churchill’s funeral was conducted here. More recently, HRH The Prince of Wales married Lady Diana Spencer in St Paul’s on 29 July 1981.

St Paul’s can be described as English High Renaissance in style, drawing inspiration from the porticoes of Cortona in Rome, Inigo Jones’s Banqueting House and the dome is definitely influenced by Michaelangelo. The interiors boast intricate carvings by Grinling Gibbons, 19th-century mosaics and Holman Hunt’s The Light of the World hangs in the south aisle.

VISITOR INFORMATION:
Open: for sightseeing Monday-Saturday 08:30-16:00, Sundays for worship only.
Station: St Paul's Tube
Information: 020 7246 8348
Entrance: £6.00 adults, £5.00 concessions, £3.00 under 16s

Royal Opera House

The third theatre on the site at Covent Garden, the Royal Opera House enjoys the patronage of HM The Queen, who re-opened the Opera House, following an extensive refurbishment programme in December 1999. The Royal Opera and Ballet companies are both based here.

Designed by E.M Barry in 1858, the Opera House witnessed the first British staging of Wagner’s Ring in 1892, became a storehouse during the Second World War and it’s location near a busy market inspired George Bernard Shaw to write Pygmalion (My Fair Lady).

Today the site includes the stunning Floral Hall (once home to the area’s flower market) where free lunchtime concerts are often held. The stunning auditorium stages world-class ballet and opera and the Amphitheatre Café and restaurant offers great views of the Covent Garden Piazza.

VISITOR INFORMATION:
Open: daily between 10:00-15:30.
Station: Covent Garden Tube
Information: 020 7304 4000
Entrance: £3 - £175 for opera and ballet. FREE entry to the Floral Hall and restaurants.

Royal Academy of Arts

This prestigious institution was founded in 1768 to promote the fine arts and George III, as patron, oversaw its foundation. In addition to exhibitions, the RA’s art school successfully nurtured the artistic skills of Constable and Turner, amongst others.

The Royal Academy moved to its current location at Burlington House in the late 1800s, where it continued to stage its now infamous Summer Exhibition. Thousands of contemporary artists are invited to submit work, ranging from drawings, engravings, sculpture and architecture. HM The Queen will be attending an evening at the RA on 22 May 2002 as part of the Golden Jubilee celebrations.

Open: daily from 10:00-18:00 and until 22:00 on Fridays
Station: Piccadilly Circus Tube
Information: 020 7300 8000
Entrance to Exhibitions: £7.50 adults, £6.50 OAPs, £5.50 students, under 8s FREE.