Spectacular royal tours of the magnificent
Hampton Court Palace or Windsor Castle
..or a full day to both of these fabulous attractions

Join me, Stephen Burstin, for an enchanting journey back in time as we visit England's most impressive palaces - Hampton Court Palace, home of the infamous King Henry VIII and his six unfortunate wives.  There's also Windsor Castle, the official residence and favourite home of our late Queen Elizabeth.  

On both these tours I even reveal several intriguing Jewish connections and anecdotes including fascinating stories about members of the royal family and one king's mistress too!

On offer is a half day tour to either one of these iconic attractions or a glorious full day taking in both. And we have a choice of travel too ...with a train for a 40 minute rail journey OR riding in a comfortable vehicle which will collect you from your accommodation and return you there or elsewhere in central London if you prefer.

Hampton Court Palace

This is my clients' favourite royal tour ...home of the notorious King Henry VIII and England’s most fascinating royal palace offering an insight into the excesses of noble life during the infamous Tudor period.

Explore the incredible surviving Tudor kitchens as I describe the daunting task of preparing banquets of gastronomic extravagance for 800 guests. We will stroll through the gorgeous State Rooms as I relate intriguing tales about King Henry's life and I reveal how his six unfortunate wives left their marks on the Palace (and met their deaths) including one who is said to haunt the corridors today!  Fascinating stories also abound about other royal residents of the Palace.

You will be amazed by the exquisite Chapel Royal as we stand on the very spot where Henry prayed (and learned of one his wive's infidelity). Talking of being amazed, there is the spendour of the Palace gardens, renowned as one of the most beautiful gardens in the world. And while gazing in awe at one particular garden setting I will tell you how it took three years to create and just seconds for the king to destroy ...before commanding gardeners to construct it again!

Also, hear how King Henry turned to Jewish sages to secure one divorce; the story behind the famed Abraham Tapestries that adorn the walls;  how a Jewish hero saved one Palace royal resident from an assassin's bullet; the tragic tale of the famous painting of the Palace owned by a Holocaust victim;  and other enthralling Jewish anecdotes too.

Other entertaining sights and stories at the Palace feature one royal resident's insatiable love for a newly discovered beverage ...hot drinking chocolate;  the water fountain that once dispensed wine;  the controversial and visible origin of the word evesdropping that led to the execution of one of Henry's wives;  and other interesting yarns too.

Windsor Castle

It's our late Queen Elizabeth II's favourite home and now her final resting place. Windsor Castle has been the official residence and home to the royal family for almost 1,000 years and is the largest inhabited castle in the world ...indeed, it is more like a fortified town than a fortified castle.

We stroll through the glorious State Apartments, still used for Royal receptions and state occasions (photo bottom right).  Be amazed by countless art treasures, paintings and odd curios, all collected by kings and queens over the centuries. Be enthralled too by one exciting tale after another, several of them not generally revealed to the public.

Also on this tour, we tread the castle grounds to see the enormous Medieval battlements that kept many a foe at bay ...but watch out for the King's Guards who will be marching past on patrol.  Within the castle confines is the magnificent St George’s Chapel, burial place of countless kings and queens and as we walk through this imposing vaulted chapel I relate several fascinating and little-known tidbits.

There's a bonus in store for you at Windsor Castle for I reveal intriguing Jewish anecdotes including the Jewish connection with Wallis Simpson who captured the heart of King Edward VIII leading to his abdication here at the Castle;  and Queen Elizabeth II's mother-in-law who heroically saved many Jews from the Nazis.  And as we view the famous Eton College - the school of 19 British Prime Ministers as well as Princes William and Harry - you will discover this world-renowned school's dreadful antisemitic past.

Other interesting sites

On the full day tour to both Windsor Castle and Hampton Court Palace there's a midday break in Windsor for maybe taking lunch by the picturesque River Thames and shopping among the quaint shops in the area. Then, on the way to Hampton Court we pass through Runnymede and see the monument where King John in 1215 signed the Magna Carta, one of the most important documents in the history of democracy and the basis of the American Bill of Rights.