Day 1 - Arrive Heathrow

Upon arrival at the London Heathrow airport, you will be met by your Guardian Angel and transferred by private vehicle to your hotel in London, where you will be assisted with check-in.

Overnight: The Goring Hotel

Day 2 - Royal Westminster

Today you will be met by your guide who takes you on a tour of the City of Westminster to explore the sites associated with the Royal Family. Start in Parliament Square where you visit Westminster Abbey, the National Church of England and scene for many state occasions including the Coronation in 1953 and the wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge in 2011.

From here you continue past the iconic Houses of Parliament and Downing Street into Whitehall. This street was once the site of Whitehall Palace built by King Henry VIII. Subject to availability, you visit the only part of the palace to survive, the Banqueting House, built by Inigo Jones and decorated by Peter Paul Rubens.

At the top of Whitehall is Trafalgar Square where you turn onto the Mall, the royal route that leads to Buckingham Palace, the King's official residence in London, is one of the most iconic sites in the world.

In August and September you can take a tour of the opulent state apartments where many functions are held each year. At other times, you can visit The Queen’s Gallery, where important items from the Royal Collection are on display, and the Royal Mews, where the ceremonial carriages are maintained.

Overnight: The Goring Hotel

Meal Plan: B

Day 3 - The City of London

Today you visit the Tower of London, the ancient royal fortress guarding the City of London. Here the Yeoman Warders – the ‘Beefeaters’ - guard the dazzling Crown Jewels that are still used for royal ceremonies to this day. Visit the White Tower, the central and oldest block of the complex, before seeing the reconstruction of the Medieval Palace that aims to show the style in which the medieval kings of England lived when they had apartments at the Tower.

You also visit St. Paul's Cathedral, the Baroque masterpiece that was rebuilt by Sir Christopher Wren after the Great Fire of London in 1666. It has also been used for state occasions, most notably the wedding of the Prince of Wales to Lady Diana Spencer in 1981.

This afternoon you may visit Kensington Palace, where you can take time to explore the state apartments of this ornate house, currently the residence of the Duke & Duchess of Cambridge and their children. After your tour of the palace, take a walk across Kensington Gardens to visit the fountain that was created in memory of Diana, the former Princess of Wales.

Overnight: The Goring Hotel

Meal Plan: B

Day 4 - The Cotswolds – Royal Associations

Today you embark on a full-day excursion with your driver-guide into the rural English countryside that lies to the west of London. Your destination is the Cotswold Hills, one of the most picturesque regions of England where little villages built out of the honey-coloured local limestone pepper the countryside. You visit Cirencester, the centre of the Cotswolds and home to the Royal Agricultural College, and then pass Avening, the village where Gatcombe Park, the home of the Princess Royal, is located.

You stop in Tetbury, one of the most attractive of the towns in the region, known for its myriad of antiques shops. It is very close to Highgrove House, one of the residences of King Charles III and the Queen Consort. 

You take a southern route back to London, on which you pass by Marlborough College, the private school where Kate Middleton was educated, and travel by the quaint village of Bucklebury in Berkshire, which is Kate’s home town.

Overnight: The Goring Hotel

Meal Plan: B

Day 5 - Windsor – flight to Edinburgh

This morning you leave your hotel with your driver-guide and head west out of London to Windsor, the town to the west of London that has long been associated with royalty. Enjoy a tour of Windsor Castle, which was one of the Queen Elizabeth II's favourite residences. Visit the State Apartments, including St. George’s Hall, which has been beautifully reconstructed following the fire of 1992. Here you see Queen Mary's Doll's House, a stunning miniature house with beautiful furnishings and fittings. You also witness the beautiful St. George’s Chapel, the home of the Order of the Garter and one of the royal sepulchres in England.

This afternoon you cross the River Thames to visit Eton College, the famous private school that was attended by Princes William and Harry. On your tour of the college you see the School Yard and the grandiose chapel, built in perpendicular Gothic style. You also visit the Museum of Eton Life where you can see how the school has evolved since its foundation by King Henry VI in the 15th century.

At the end of your visit, transfer to nearby Heathrow Airport for your flight to Edinburgh. Upon arrival at Edinburgh airport, you are met by your Guardian Angel and transferred by private vehicle to your hotel in Edinburgh, where you are assisted with check-in.

Overnight: The Balmoral

Meal Plan: B

Day 6 - Royal Edinburgh

This morning you meet an expert local guide for a full-day sightseeing tour of Scotland's capital city, in which you explore the landmarks that are associated with the city’s royal heritage. You first head up to Edinburgh Castle, where you see the 'Honours of Scotland', or the Scottish Crown Jewels, and obtain stunning views of the city. You then continue down the Royal Mile to St. Giles Cathedral, home to the Order of the Thistle. The lower end of the Royal Mile is called the Canongate; here you admire the city's royal church. At the end of the Royal Mile, and opposite the magnificent Scottish Parliament building, is Holyrood Palace, the King's Official Residence in Edinburgh. (You can tour the staterooms of the palace if no member of the Royal Family is staying here at the time)

This afternoon you drive down to the city docks at Leith, where you board the former Royal Yacht Britannia, now permanently moored here. Built in Scotland, this ship was used by the Royal Family for many official voyages during her working life. See the elegant staterooms where Queen Elizabeth II hosted dinners. Discover the intimate private quarters where the Royal Family relaxed, and also the ‘behind the scenes’ areas where the crew lived and worked.

Overnight: The Balmoral

Meal Plan: B

Day 7 - Scone and St. Andrews

Today enjoy a full-day excursion to the north of Edinburgh with your driver-guide. Cross the mighty Forth Bridge and head to Scone Palace, home of the Earls of Mansfield. In the grounds of the palace is Moot Hill, the ancient coronation place of the Scottish kings, who sat on the Stone of Destiny during the ceremony. This stone was taken to Westminster Abbey by the English King Edward I, but is now housed in Edinburgh Castle.

You then cross over the River Tay into the region known as Fife. On the far eastern side of Fife is the delightful town of St. Andrews, overlooking the North Sea. This town is known throughout the world as the home of golf, since the first modern golf course was developed here. However, St. Andrews was also originally the ecclesiastical capital of Scotland, and you visit the ruins of the cathedral, destroyed during the Reformation.

The town is also the home of Scotland’s oldest university, and it is here that Prince William and Kate Middleton met while they were both students at the university. Take time to explore the quadrangles that house the present university departments and facilities before returning to Edinburgh.

Overnight: The Balmoral

Meal Plan: B

Day 8 - Stirling and Linlithgow

Your final day of touring with your driver-guide takes you west of Edinburgh along the valley of the River Forth. Your destination is Stirling, the strategic site at a bridging point on the river where both William ‘Braveheart’ Wallace and Robert the Bruce defeated the English armies during the Scottish Wars of Independence. Stirling Castle developed as one of the most important royal fortresses in Scotland. It boasts a fine Great Hall and a Chapel Royal, where Mary Queen of Scots was crowned when just an infant.

On your return back to Edinburgh you visit the ruins of Linlithgow Palace. With a delightful setting on the banks of a lake, and a convenient location between Edinburgh and Stirling, this was one of the favourite residences of the Stuart Kings of Scotland and the birthplace of Mary Queen of Scots in 1542. Although it is now a ruin, the stout remains indicate how majestically the medieval monarchs of Scotland lived.

Overnight: The Balmoral

Meal Plan: B

Day 9 - Depart Edinburgh

Transfer to Edinburgh airport for your departure flight.

Meal Plan: B