As the nation is gripped with wedding fever ahead of Prince Harry and Megan Markle’s nuptials, we take a look at just some of the London venues that have welcomed royalty into their events spaces:
Opened by HRH Princess Alexandra in April 2012, the award-winning building on Britton Street combines an existing Grade II Listed 1872 Victorian London Board School and a four-storey contemporary extension housing dedicated workshops, studios and event spaces. The redevelopment of the original building, complete with antique fireplaces, honours its roots as a place of learning.
The Royal Horticultural Halls has a rich history of Royal associations, from its opening day hosted by King Edward VII and Queen Alexander to modern day Royals attending a range of events. Most recently, Princess Eugenie attended a White Collar boxing match in support of an animal charity and earlier in the year we welcomed our Future King with an event with the Soil Association.
Built in 1616 for Anne of Denmark, James I’s Queen, Royal Museums Greenwich was ground breaking in its design and was the first classical building here in Britain. The house was formally opened to the public by his majesty King George IV with his young daughter (our Queen, Elizabeth II) in 1937. Today it remains a “house of delight” with many original features and maintains its tradition of pleasure and celebration allowing for dining for 120 or reception for 150 in its magnificent great hall. The backdrop of leafy Greenwich Park and the Old Royal Naval College is stunning for al fresco drinks receptions and rounding off the evening with a firework display.
The Natural History Museum was delighted to welcome the Duchess of Cambridge to the venues’ event of the century, the grand reopening of Hintze Hall following the installation of Hope – a 25.2m blue whale skeleton spectacularly diving into the event space.
The Museum of London is a treasure trove of artefacts documenting the capitals’ history from pre-Roman to modern times. One of the pieces on display in the venues’ event space available for private hire is a fascinating watercolour painting of Queen Victoria’s Golden Jubilee, depicting crowds gathering for celebrations in Trafalgar Square on 21st June 1887. The painting is of significant cultural importance as it shows both Londoners and tourists of varying social backgrounds coming together in the Square decorated with an abundance of bunting and flags.
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