Historic Royal Palaces

Venues fit for a King

Historic Royal Palaces is the charity caring for six of the most wonderful palaces in the world. Business Development Manager Jo Jennings and Head of Events & Commercial Services Liz Young outlined the benefits of hiring a royal palace for an event. Report by Phil Nicholls.

Every wedding is a special day for the happy couple. However, for a truly unique experience, the chance to host an event at one of the greatest palaces ever built is hard to beat. This is exactly the opportunity offered by the independent charity Historic Royal Palaces.

“Each of our venues has its own personality and history, so this gives us a varied

portfolio,” explained Head of Events & Commercial Services Liz Young. “What we have found to be really popular is clients wanting to offer their guests an ‘experience’ when attending an event. We are fortunate to have an abundance of these to offer.”

Historic Royal Palaces was established by the UK government in 1989 to care for five royal palaces. The organisation later

HISTORIC ROYAL PALACES

became an independent charity and, in 2014, took over the management of Hillsborough Castle in Northern Ireland. Today, the charity manages these palaces and their collections as tourist attractions and entertainment venues; conserves internationally important collections, supports research, connects with local communities, and much more.

Royal entertainments

As venues for a wedding or corporate event, the portfolio of Historic Royal Palaces offers any client a unique experience. The Tower of London is a World Heritage Site – home to ravens, Yeoman Warders and the priceless Crown Jewels. The beautiful state rooms and

grand staircases of Hampton Court Palace played host to Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn.

The parkland of Kensington Palace offers a welcome retreat from the hustle and bustle of London, while the beauty and scale of the Banqueting House continues to impress guests, as they did for the kings, queens and courtiers who have banqueted there since 1622.

“All of the palaces are extremely flexible and have a variety of spaces to suit all manner of events,” continued Ms Young. “Every site is licenced for weddings, accommodating small intimate ceremonies up to larger gatherings of 200 guests, giving clients a choice of how they want their event to be.”

“We try to understand the unique requirement of our client’s event and then make suggestions for which space may suit them best,” agreed Business Development Manager Jo Jennings. “For example, Hampton Court Palace and Kensington Palace both offer glorious gardens for drinks, whereas at the Tower of London, guests can enjoy outdoor drinks on the battlements of the Tower walls with fantastic views of central London.”

Five-star partnerships

Historic Royal Palaces places great importance on working with reliable and high-quality partners when delivering unique experiences to clients. “Due to the historic nature of our event spaces, we have certain

sensitivities and conservation issues we must always consider,” said Ms Jennings. “Thus, we have a list of approved event suppliers, compiled via a rigorous tender process. These partners are crucial to delivering the five-star experience our clients expect.”

“We work closely with these partners, to build trusting relationships,” explained Ms Jennings; “Ensuring they have a deep understanding of the individual quirks and sensitivities of each venue space. This ensures that our partners are able to deliver creative, once-in-a-lifetime experiences for our clients.”

One of the particular challenges facing caterers at these historic palaces is how the entertainment spaces are not always

close to suitable kitchens. Given the nature of the location, there is no option of simply installing modern catering facilities within these treasured buildings.

“We have worked very closely with our approved catering partners to enable us to set up temporary kitchens for every event,” continued Ms Jennings. “It is testament to the skillsets of our partners that they can deliver such amazing quality catering within these tricky environments.”

Whatever the occasion, be it corporate entertainment or a wedding, the Historic Royal Palaces events team helps clients create an exceptional experience. The dedicated team smoothly adapts for any occasion.

“Corporate events often involve a variety of stakeholders,” Ms Young said. “It is important to ascertain the goals of a particular event and how, as a venue, we can support that outcome. With weddings, the most important thing to remember is that this is often the clients’ first time planning an event. We want to make the experience enjoyable for our wedding couples, so we always ensure they have everything they need to make their special day a success.”

“Large or small, we have great processes in place to accommodate all types of events,” agreed Ms Jennings. “Set up times can be tight, since we are open during the day as a visitor attraction: so, we have enabled some spaces to be available during the day as well, to give more time for suppliers to set up the venue ready for guests’ arrival for particularly large groups.”