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The Palace of Holyroodhouse
Edinburgh
The Palace of Holyroodhouse was established as a monastery in 1128 but most of the building that now stands was built in the 17th century. It has been a royal residence for centuries and still is the official residence of the British royal family.
Her Majesty the Queen visits Edinburgh every year at the end of June and this is where she stays during her annual visit to the Scottish capital.
The Palace is also used by other members of the Royal family such as Princess Anne and Prince Charles, who often host official dinners and banquets at Holyroodhouse. This is also the site in which investitures take place during the Royal week and the ceremony is held in the Great Gallery to enable the Scots, who earned recognition through their achievements, to collect their honours from Her Majesty in their home country.
As part of their annual visit, The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh entertain around 8,000 guests at a Garden Party in the grounds of the Palace- a tradition started by King George V and Queen Mary.
One of the most famous residents of the Palace was Mary Queen of Scots, whose secretary David Rizzio was brutally stabbed on the orders of her second husband Lord Darnley. Rizzio was left to die in Mary's outer-chamber, and the legendary blood stain is still visible on the floor panelling. This stain is quite special, we would even say magical, as not even replacing the floor panels managed to remove it.
The Palace of Holyroodhouse is situated next to the Scottish Parliament, Queen's Gallery and Holyrood Park. Having said that, the bottom of The Royal Mile could fill out a day's sightseeing itinerary, also taking into account all the cafés, pubs and shops located on The Royal Mile itself.
