At times, the Royal Family can seem distant from everyday London life. They are the stuff of period drama or titillating tabloid tales. All very entertaining but actually irrelevant to modern London living.
Yet an ordinary London day is touched in dozens of subtle ways by the extraordinary tales of royal history.
If you’ve ever changed trains at Victoria, walked along Kingsway or shopped on Regent Street, you are brushing up against the Royal Family.
If you’ve ever had a drink at the King’s Head, or taken up a sunny spot in Kensington Gardens, or if you’ve ever hired a dinner jacket, then, once again, the Royal Family are very near at hand.
Study at King’s College? A night at the theatre in Haymarket or Drury Lane? Or the famous Proms? Too highbrow? Well how about a return to the pub and a night in the White Hart at Mile End. If you think this last course of action will take you away from the Royal Family, then think again.
And we haven’t even mentioned palaces yet. We’ve plenty of those.
This book attempts to bring to life some of those more arcane London locations shaped by royal history – as well as detailing the famous landmarks of Royal London. As we chase the ghosts of King Henry VIII and Queen Elizabeth I, we’ll meet the current Royal Family and follow their footsteps through the modern-day metropolis.
I hope you enjoy our trip along the Queen’s highway(s)… and byways.
KPG
London, April 2012