Bath’s Royal connections date back to the city’s very beginning. Today there are a host of interesting highlights for Royalty enthusiasts to explore and fascinating stories to uncover. Everyone feels like Royalty in Bath, so why not treat your loved one like a prince or princess on a Royal break in Bath?
Royal beginnings
Legend has it that around 500bc a young Prince Bladud stumbled upon healing spring waters while exiled for being accursed with Leprosy. The waters cured his affliction and he returned to his family, later becoming King. In gratitude to the healing powers of the spring, King Bladud began the building of the city of Bath. A statue of King Bladud stands in the Royal Bath at the Roman Baths and you can see many paintings and illustrations depicting the story in the Pump Room.
The first King of England, King Edgar’s coronation was held in Bath Abbey in 973ad.
Today, you can see the stunning Edgar Window at the east end of the Abbey, which depicts the ceremony. You can also see a commemorative stone in the Abbey’s floor, celebrating a visit by Queen Elizabeth II in 1973 to mark 1000 years since the crowning of Edgar and the creation of the English Monarchy.
Royal visits
There are a number of reported Royal visits to Bath during its history, leaving a weal
th of evidence behind for you to discover. Queen Anne visited in 1688 seeking a cure for her gout. Her visit is credited for making Bath incredibly popular among fashionable high society in the years following. You too can take to the waters by bathing at Thermae Bath Spa, or taste the water direct from the Pump in the Pump Room.
In 1830, a young Princess Victoria, later to become Queen Victoria, came to Bath with her mother to open the park named in her honour – Royal Victoria Park. They stayed in the Royal Hotel, where you can see a commemorative plaque, erected to mark their visit. At the Victoria Art Gallery, you will see an impressive statue of the Queen Victoria outside - a fitting memorial to this important Queen, and fascinating exhibitions throughout the year inside.
Today, Bath’s stunning architecture, relaxing atmosphere and excellent transport links with London and the Cotswolds makes Bath really popular with British Royals. HRH the Prince of Wales was recently in Bath to open his Highgrove Shop, which sells products inspired by the interests of the Prince of Wales (Prince Charles), and his family home, Highgrove, in the Cotswolds. Sulis Guides and .jpg)
World Heritage Trails offer day visits from Bath to Highgrove, so you can see how Royalty live.
Princess Anne often frequents Bath on visits to local charities, as does The Duchess of Cornwall who has a home in nearby Reybridge.
In November 2010, HRH The Duchess of Cornwall switched on Bath’s Christmas lights, to mark the start of late night shopping in the city.
Royal accommodation
Why not stay in a royal property during your stay? The Duchy is a central townhouse, recently owned by Prince Charles and now available as visitor accommodation.
Or why not sleep in the same room that Queen Victoria inhabited during her stay in Bath, at the Royal Hotel? Or perhaps you would like to stay in same room as the Duke of York, Frederick Augustus, immortalised in the nursery rhyme ‘The Grand Old Duke of York’, who stayed at number 16 The Royal Crescent a number of times in the early 19th Century. This house is now part of the Royal Crescent Hotel, where you can stay in a suite named in his honour – 
accommodation fit for any prince or princess.
The history behind Queen Charlotte's Orangery also makes for an interesting stay. Once home in 1817 to the wife of George III, Queen Charlotte, this beautiful property with lovely Italianate garden is available for B&B stays.
If you fancy knowing more about living like a royal, why not book a stay at Abbey Rise - the owner, Katherine, once lived and worked at Buckingham Palace as the Deputy Chief Housekeeper. Many mementoes of her time spent at the palace are on display, and prove very popular with guests!
Royal events
The Fashion Museum is hosting Jubilee: A Celebration of British Monarchy, on Stage and Screen, an exhibition of stage and film costume that celebrates the story of the British monarchy. Productions include The King's Speech, The Queen, Richard ΙΙΙ, The Madness of King George, Elizabeth, the Tudors and many RSC theatre productions.
Enjoy a show at the Theatre Royal, which offers a year-round programme of top-quality performances, and whose Patron is Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Cornwall. You can also visit the Theatre’s predecessor, the original Theatre Royal and Masonic Museum, which was the first theatre outside of London to be awarded the Royal patent.
There are many places throughout the city where you will find evidence of Royal visits and Bath’s connections with the British Royal Family. See how many you can find during your own Royal visit to Bath.
In June 2012 Bath will be celebrating the Diamond Jubilee, which marks 60 years of Queen Elizabeth II's reign. To view the many celebrations and events taking place in and around the city, visit our Diamond Jubilee page.
For further advice and expert suggestions on planning your visit to Bath call our Tourist Information Centre on:
UK callers - 0906 711 2000 (50p / min)
Overseas callers - +44 844 847 5257
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