The Royal Family and Wales

Queen Elizabeth II officially opened the first National Assembly for Wales (now Senedd) in 1999

She then opened every session following an election in Wales, up to her death in 2022. She also opened the newly built Senedd building on St David’s Day (the first day of March) in 2006.

Wales has two Royal golf courses

Edward VII, a passionate golfer, granted Royal status to his two favourite golf courses in Wales: Royal St David’s (1908) and Royal Porthcawl (1909).

In 1859, Queen Victoria and Prince Albert stayed in Penrhyn Castle, near Bangor

Today Penrhyn Castle is managed by the National Trust, but in the 1800s it was a stately home owned by the Pennant family. The castle and estate were established using proceeds from the North Wales slate industry and the transatlantic slave trade, as the family owned a number of sugar plantations in Jamaica. For the royal visit in 1859, a one-ton slate bed was commissioned for the Queen and Prince, but Queen Victoria refused to sleep in it because it reminded her of a tomb. The bed can be seen there to this day.

Years later, Queen Victoria visited Palé Hall, in the Dee Valley near Bala. She was enchanted by it. You can now stay in the room she slept in - aptly called The Victoria Room - complete with the original bath, basin and bed used by Queen Victoria.

Several kings were born in Wales

Henry V was born in Monmouth Castle in 1386. He spent much of his youth in Wales, fighting against the rebellion of Owain Glyndŵr. Henry Tudor (Harri Tudur in Welsh, and later known as Henry VII) was born at Pembroke Castle in 1457.

Wales has many hotels with royal links

Plas Dinas Country House in Caernarfon, now a hotel, is the former home of Lord Snowdon and Princess Margaret.

Llangoed Hall Hotel in the Wye Valley has a long history of links to the British Royal Family. Prince Charles makes bi-annual visits and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have also dropped in. The hotel owns a Rolls-Royce given to the Queen Mother on the birth of Queen Elizabeth II.

The Great House in Laleston near Bridgend, now a hotel, is believed to have been a gift from Queen Elizabeth I to her suitor and court favourite Robert Dudley, the Earl of Leicester. It is also thought to have once been home to Anne Boleyn, the second wife of King Henry VIII.

Welsh gold seals in the love

All major royal weddings have been sealed with Welsh gold since the Queen Mother began the tradition on her marriage to King George VI in 1923.

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