Plantagenet
Ruthin Castle
Debingshire, Wales
Built for King Edward I in 1277, as one of his “iron ring” of castles designed to keep the Welsh under control, Ruthin Castle came under sustained attack by Parliamentarians in the Civil War, and was then torn down. In the 19th century a house was built within the ruins. Edward VII was a frequent visitor when he was the Prince of Wales — and he would probably recognise it in its current form as a 59-room hotel. There are plenty of medieval remains, including battlements and dungeons. Medieval banquets can be arranged.
Details A two-night stay starts at £92pp, including breakfast (01824 702664, ruthincastle.co.uk)
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Astley Castle
Warwickshire
An early — decidedly happier — home for the Princes in the Tower, Astley Castle was owned by their mother Elizabeth Woodville. Her daughter, Elizabeth of York, who married Henry VII, was the next owner, followed by the family of the doomed Lady Jane Grey. Now, after a five-year restoration, Astley, with four bedrooms, will open in July under the Landmark Trust.
Details A weekend break will start from £784 with the Landmark Trust (01628 825925, landmarktrust.org.uk)
Tudor
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Hampton Court
Surrey
This palace beside the Thames was Henry VIII’s own pleasure dome. You can gain an insight into the excesses of the past by renting two apartments in the grounds. Fish Court, which sleeps six, was originally home to Henry VIII’s Officers of the Pastry. Once devoted entirely to the baking of pies, it is tucked away in a courtyard. The wisteria-clad Georgian House, which sleeps eight, was another kitchen, built for the food-loving Prince Regent in 1719. It has its own private walled garden and plenty of period details, including a magnificent hearth.
Details A four-night break starts at £683/£714. (01628 825925, landmarktrust.org.uk)
Stuarts
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Borthwick Castle
Midlothian, Scotland
The house where Mary, Queen of Scots, spent her honeymoon with the Earl of Bothwell is now a luxury hotel. As her monarchy failed, she returned to the castle but the nobles laid siege and she had to flee through a window, dressed as a pageboy. Thirteen miles from Edinburgh, with the pleasing modern additions of central heating and en suite bathrooms, there is plenty of history to take in. The great hall is now the hotel restaurant.
Details Doubles from £160 a night (01875 820514, borthwickcastle.com)
Carisbrooke Castle
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Isle of Wight
Charles I was imprisoned here after the Civil War and before his execution, spent hours playing bowls in the grounds.
These days, families have a more enjoyable time. Set into the castle walls, the snug Bowling Green apartment sleeps four, but perhaps the biggest perk is the chance to explore the grounds and gardens after hours.
Details A three-night break starts at £267 (english-heritage.org.uk)
Culloden House
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Inverness, Scotland
Previously home to Robert II, the first Stuart king of Scotland, Culloden House’s most famous resident was Bonnie Prince Charlie, who used it as his base before the Battle of Culloden in 1746, the last battle on British soil. After his defeat, he fled abroad and the Jacobean house was given a full Georgian makeover. There are 28 rooms, and a sauna, in what was the dungeon.
Details Double rooms from £270, including breakfast (01463 790461, cullodenhouse.co.uk)
New Park Manor
New Forest
Charles II had happy associations with this former hunting lodge in the heart of the New Forest. Legend has it that it was a base for trysts with his mistresses, including Nell Gwyn. Now a recent addition to the Luxury Family Hotels group, this spa hotel with 24 bedrooms still has plenty of royal memorabilia, from the oak leaves carved into the panelling to the coat of arms above the fireplace.
Details Doubles from £115 a night, including breakfast (01590 623467, newparkmanorhotel.co.uk)
Victorian
Osborne House
Isle of Wight
Queen Victoria bought Osborne House on the Isle of Wight in 1845 and turned it into an architectural smorgasbord of Italianate and Indian influences (with a Swiss cottage in the gardens). This year, what was Victoria’s private beach is being redeveloped and the bathing hut will become a café. Guests staying at Pavilion Cottage in Osborne’s grounds will enjoy Victoria-style privacy once guests leave.
Details A week’s rent starts at £800 for four with English Heritage (08703 331187, www.english-heritage.org.uk)
Balmoral
Aberdeenshire, Scotland
Spread across 50,000 acres of Deeside, Balmoral was bought by Queen Victoria in 1852 as a highland escape. It’s still prized by the Royal Family for its privacy, even though six cottages are for rent. Most are simple and only available from April to October (with restrictions when the Royal Family are resident). But staying on Balmoral is more about the setting, Land Rover safaris (from £60pp) are available. Alltnaguibhsaich Lodge is probably the best rental property; much loved by Queen Victoria, it sleeps 12 and has stunning views across Loch Muick.
Details Renting Alltnaguibhsaich Lodge starts at £1,100 a week (013397 42534, balmoralcastle.com)
Edwardian
Sandringham cottages
Norfolk
Bought by Queen Victoria for her eldest son, Sandringham has cottages to rent when they are not needed by royal staff. Garden House, near the main property, was once the home of Sandringham’s head gardener but is built on a grand scale; there’s a drawing and dining room, and an Aga in the kitchen. The Granary is a barn conversion, with three en-suite bedrooms and a wood-burning stove.
Details A week’s stay starts at £625/£600 a week (01485 545400, sandringhamestate.co.uk)
Park House
Sandringham
Built in 1863, the childhood home of Diana, the Princess of Wales is now a hotel run by the Leonard Cheshire Trust. It’s been converted for mobility-impaired guests with an unparalleled level of care, including an in-house team. Its restaurant overlooks Sandringham cricket ground.
Details Rates start at £79pp per night, including breakfast and evening meal (01485 543000, parkhousehotel.org.uk)
Langtry Manor
Bournemouth
Built in 1877 in Arts and Crafts style by Edward VII for Lillie Langtry, his long-term mistress, this is now a boutique hotel with 27 rooms. The main bedroom has especially lofty ceilings so that the King could smoke cigars, while a peephole into the dining room allowed him to spy on his guests before deciding whether he would join them for dinner.
Details Weekend breaks cost from £185pp, including breakfast and dinner, with a six-course Edwardian banquet on Saturday (01202 553887, langtrymanor.co.uk)
Llwynywermod Farm
Carmarthenshire, Wales
Fast-forward another 135 years and priorities have changed at Llwynywermod Farm, the Prince of Wales’ holiday home. North and West Range are for the royal security team but are available to rent. Insulation is made from sheep’s wool, the boiler uses wood chips and the electricity comes from a renewable source.
Details Rent for West Range, which sleeps four, starts at £700 a week in March (01579 346473, duchyofcornwallholidaycottages.co.uk)
The Castle of Mey
Caithness, Scotland
Owned by the late Queen Mother, this castle in Caithness has views across to Orkney (on a good day), and is remote and quiet. The most northern inhabited castle in Britain, it’s just a few miles from John o’ Groats. The Captain’s House on the estate has three bedrooms and a vast conservatory (where the Queen Mother would picnic when the weather was being particularly Scottish).
Details A week’s rental starts at £400 with Cottages and Castles (01738 451610, cottages-and-castles.co.uk)
Windsor
Luton Hoo Hotel
Bedfordshire
In 1947, the Queen and Prince Philip spent part of their honeymoon, and several subsequent anniversaries, at this 18th-century mansion. Then owned by Sir Harold and Lady Zia Wernher and containing a superb collection of art, it’s now a luxury hotel and, its golf course and country-house-and-afternoon-tea experience has been augmented with a modern spa. Guests can stay in what was the Queen’s suite, known as the Elizabeth, and look out at the same grounds that were designed by Capability Brown.
Details Rooms start from £230, the Elizabeth costs from £895 (01582 734437, lutonhoo.co.uk)
Dumfries House Lodge
Dumfries, Scotland
This new B&B is inextricably linked with Prince Charles; in 2007 he headed up a consortium of charitable bodies to save Dumfries House and the 2,000-acre estate in which it and the lodge lies. In April, he opened the lodge to the public. Its five bedrooms aren’t as grand as those in the main house — one of the Adam brothers’ earliest architectural commissions — but they do have plasma TVs (somewhat frowned on by the Prince). For the patriotic, there’s also a snug with a footstool decorated with a Union Jack. If you rent the entire property, you can bring in a chef to cook, or there is a restaurant in the grounds.
Details B&B rooms start from £60. (01290 429920, dumfrieshouse lodge.co.uk)
Plas Dinas
Gwynedd, Wales
The bedroom used by Princess Margaret has been lovingly preserved (if tactfully refurbished) at this B&B in a bucolic part of Caernarfon. Once the family home of Lord Snowdon, her former husband, it now has nine bedrooms — the most expensive of which have updated facilities. Downstairs things are more traditional with open fires, drawing and gun rooms. Evening meals can be arranged.
Details B&B rooms from£129 (01286 830214, plasdinas.co.uk)
Hebridean Island Cruises
Scotland
With Britannia permanently moored in Leith, the Queen has twice chartered the Hebridean Princess for holidays around the Scottish islands. Fully reborn as a luxury cruise ship with 30 cabins and tartan-clad staterooms, this ship has had a dramatic makeover since its days as a Caledonian MacBrayne ferry and plies a similar route to the ones Britannia did.
Details A seven-night trip to the Outer Islands in May, starting at Oban and visiting Eigg, Tarbert Castlebay, Iona, Ulva, Coll and Tobermory starts at £3130pp. (01756 704700, hebridean.co.uk)