A kingdom of cottages

Fancy staying in a royal hideaway? A Kingdom of Cottages introduces around fifty holiday homes and hotels, all linked to the British Crown and some owned by King Charles personally. They stretch from Land’s End to John o’ Groats and beyond, including an entire archipelago, where an official royal residence is among the lets. 

Discover the loveliest places to stay in the realm. You might choose to explore a 400-year-old fortress commissioned by Queen Elizabeth I, a converted wartime bunker with sweeping sea views, or Sandringham’s Victorian water tower. Stay amid the gardens of Balmoral, or in a former royal kitchen house at Hampton Court Palace. Two mountain bothies in the Scottish Highlands even offer stays free of charge. Further afield is the King’s personal retreat in Transylvania, where even his private apartment is available to paying guests.

Most properties stand on royal estates, while others have ceremonial ties to the monarchy, such as the isla