Heritage Houses with Royal Connections
It is the 42nd birthday of the Prince of Wales and for those royal fans looking to mark the occasion, many of our HeritageX homes have ties to monarchs both past and present waiting to be discovered through our platform!
Read on below to explore our most royally well-connected houses.
1. Glamis Castle, Scotland
Glamis Castle in Scotland is perhaps most well-known for its link to fictional royalty, where it plays a starring role in Shakespeare’s tragic play Macbeth, but did you know that it has an important real-life royal connection too? Home to the Lyon family, Glamis was in fact the childhood home of Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon who went on to marry George VI and become the late Queen Mother. Glamis is also the birthplace of Princess Margaret, who was born up there when her mother was visiting her family.
Book to visit Glamis here
2. Sudeley Castle, Gloucestershire
Sudeley Castle in Gloucestershire is renowned for its many royal connections. It was one of Henry VIII’s royal residences which he visited with Anne Boleyn, and has seen the likes of Elizabeth I, Richard III and Charles I walk its halls, the latter of which sought refuge from Oliver Cromwell at Sudeley during the Civil War. However, the most famous monarch at Sudeley is undoubtedly Queen Katherine Parr, who spent the last years of her life there with her husband Thomas Seymour and is still buried in the St Mary’s Chapel in Sudeley’s grounds.
Book to visit Sudeley here
3. Knowsley Hall, Merseyside
Knowsley Hall, otherwise known as “Merseyside’s hidden gem,” has a long and rich royal history. Owned by the Stanley family for over 600 years, the earliest structure at Knowsley is called the Royal Lodgings, which was built in 1495 by Thomas Stanley 1st Earl of Derby where he and his wife Lady Margaret Beaufort entertained her son King Henry VII and Queen Elizabeth of York. Since then, the house has played host to many royals throughout the years, including the late Queen Elizabeth II and her father King George VI.
Book to visit Knowsley here
4. Dunnottar Castle, Scotland
The wonderfully scenic Dunnottar Castle in Scotland may now be in ruins, but it was once a medieval stronghold with fascinating links to both English and Scottish royalty. The original structure was built by Sir William Keith, who King James II made 1st Earl of Marischal in 1458, whose family went on to play an important role in Britain’s Civil Wars. Following the overthrowing of Charles I by Oliver Cromwell, his son the young King Charles II stayed at Dunnottar on his way south, which prompted an invasion of Scotland by Cromwell’s army. It also played a vital part in the safekeeping of Scotland’s crown jewels, the Honours of Scotland, which are now on display at Edinburgh Castle. In 2019, Dunnottar received another important royal visit, when the now King Charles III and Queen Camilla visited the globally recognised landmark for a private tour!
Book to visit Dunnottar here
5. Rockingham Castle, Northamptonshire
Last but certainly not least is the splendid Rockingham Castle in Northamptonshire, which has the greatest claim to royal fame as an original royal castle. Commissioned in the 11th century by William the Conqueror, Rockingham is directly tied to Britain’s first Norman King and remained in the hands of the royal family until 1541, when Henry VIII leased it to Edward Watson who turned the medieval stronghold into the Tudor castle we see today. The castle was bought outright by Edward’s grandson Sir Lewis Watson from King James I in 1619 and has remained in the hands of the Watson family ever since. Visitors today can still see much of the original medieval castle built by William’s son, William II and learn all about the transformation the castle has undergone over the years.
Book to visit Rockingham here