Royal Places England – Part 1

Our royal coronation-month tour this week takes you to the best views of rolling English countryside and parkland, and the bracing tang of sea air. As well as covering the miles (or uncovering hidden royal gems nearer to you than you realised), we’re heading back in time, uncovering a brutal battle and unmarked burial over 500 years ago. Forward just twenty years to a historic house whose stately family would become the ancestors of future kings.

Discover a classic Edwardian country house and estate, beloved of the modern royal family for five generations, or perhaps the most outrageous example of royal excess, with rumour and scandal to match. We’ll also be visiting historic city centres, a tranquil island, and a very special carpark. Ready to discover some delightfully different, but blue-blood to the core royal destinations? Lead on MacDuff!

King Richard III Visitor Centre Leicester

Before August 2012, if we’d told you to go looking in a carpark for a king, you’d think we’d been a little too liberal with the coronation fizz! But, thanks to the incredible discovery of the remains of legendary King Richard III, whose alleged nefarious deeds were made infamous by Shakespeare, this Leicester carpark is famous around the world. Don’t worry, we’re not telling you to stand by the pay and display! The brilliant King Richard III Visitor Centre has been built right beside the spot at which he fell and was rediscovered, over 500 years later.

Fitted with amazing artefacts and the best in immersive storytelling technology, unravel medieval murder plots and follow the journey of amazing evidence-gathering and cutting-edge forensic science that led to his discovery. Inspired by the story of England’s last true warrior king, you can then visit his original grave site. Situated in the heart of the city’s Old Town, you’re just a step away from other attractions like Leicester Cathedral, too.

Althorp House, Northamptonshire

Say “the People’s Princess”, and one iconic face springs immediately to mind. Diana, Princess of Wales became the most famous, photographed and glamourous woman of the 1980s and 90s, and central to some of the most dramatic events to entangle the modern royal family. London has the Diana Memorial Fountain in Hyde Park, and the Princess Diana sculpture at Kensington Palace, her home in the capital, but you’ll find the true soul and spirit of Diana in the peaceful Northamptonshire countryside.

Built in 1508, Althorp is an imposing stately country house, set in over 14,000 acres of estate, and just 7 miles from Northampton. Inside, among elegant interiors discover one of Europe’s finest private collections of furniture, paintings and ceramics. A six-room exhibition gives an insight in to the life of the Princess including audio-visual displays, letters, royal wedding and charitable memorabilia. Explore the extensive gardens, culminating at the tranquil lake, whose island is Diana’s peaceful last resting place.

Sandringham, Norfolk

The beloved private country home of Queen Elizabeth, Sandringham is perhaps best known as the home where the Windsors spend their Christmases, a tradition that King Charles has continued. A private home of five generations of British monarchs from 1862, you can tour the main eight ground floor rooms when the monarch isn’t in residence (and let’s face it, he’s probably quite busy this summer!)

Inside, marvel at magnificent artworks, silver, enamel and porcelain, mixed with more intimate items which give a glimpse into family life, such as personal gifts and family portraits, and examples from the fleet of Royal cars. Outside, Sandringham’s sixty acres of gardens have been described as the finest of all the Royal Gardens, including a romantic summer house, rockery, grotto, and scenic valley which directs water from natural springs into the two lakes. Free to enter, and welcoming to walkers, cyclists and dogs, the 600-acre Sandringham Park contains a tempting variety of waymarked trails for energetic visitors.

Brighton Pavilion & Gardens

“And now for something completely different”! Built as a seaside pleasure palace for King George IV, Brighton’s Royal Pavilion is an exotic palace in the centre of Brighton with a colourful history. Mixing Regency grandeur with the visual style of India and China, this wedding-cake confection is a joyous assault on the senses- you can imagine it was made from gingerbread and icing!

Bask in Regency splendour, inside and out, and experience a fantasy palace like no other. Sit down to luxury dining George IV style in the banqueting room, see yourself reflected in the great kitchen’s gleaming copper pots and pans, gape at the opulent decoration that covers the saloon, music room- well, every square inch. As colourful as his creation, what scandal lurks King George’s gold-accented royal bedroom? Designed as a pleasure ground fit for a king, I think it’s time for some wholesome fresh air in the glorious gardens!