Royal Reasons to Visit Knightsbridge
Ahead of the Coronation, Knightsbridge is highlighting its royal connections with a series of packages and reasons to visit the majestic destination…
CATCH THE KING’S HORSES ON THEIR DAILY SAUNTER THROUGH HYDE PARK
Based at Hyde Park Barracks in Knightsbridge, The Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment will be charged with no end of ceremonial duties to mark the royal occasion. However, regardless of the time of year, ever since the restoration of King Charles II in 1660, visitors can enjoy a daily sighting of the regiment in action. At 10.28am (Monday – Friday), The King’s Life Guard leaves Hyde Park Barracks and rides to Horse Guards Parade passing through Hyde Park Corner and along Constitution Hill and The Mall. The ceremony of the Changing of The King’s Life Guard then takes place on Horse Guards Parade at 11.00am. For more information: https://www.householddivision.org.uk/king-life-guard
CELEBRATE THE KING’S CORONATION AT THE LANESBOROUGH
Overlooking Hyde Park Corner, and adjacent to the grounds of Buckingham Palace, the elegant country house heritage of The Lanesborough will provide an inviting home away from home experience to celebrate the momentous royal occasion.
The hotel’s special ‘King’s Coronation Celebration’ package is a decadent affair and includes a private transfer service from London Heathrow or from London St Pancras International, dedicated 24-hour butler service, a bottle of Champagne and a special in-room Coronation amenity, complimentary daily English breakfast, and a sumptuous five-course King’s Coronation Celebration dinner at The Lanesborough Grill. A Modern-British stalwart, the restaurant’s special menu will include dishes such as roast Orkney scallop with potted Lytham shrimp butter, coronation crab salad, and a main of Hogget (a favourite of the King). Guests will also have access to the property’s award-winning Club & Spa, unlimited movies and music on demand, water and fruit replenished daily, tea and coffee, and complimentary pressing of one outfit per person upon arrival.
As a further nod to the royal event, the hotel’s expert mixologists have created a special martini-style cocktail, ‘The King’s Coronation’, available in both The Lanesborough Grill and at the Library Bar – one of the city’s most celebrated drinking destinations. Plus, The Lanesborough Grill will also serve a King’s Coronation Sunday Lunch, centred around large joints of the finest quality British beef, expertly cooked to perfection, and carved at the table from ornate, antique trolleys alongside a generous selection of all the very best trimmings. The Lanesborough’s Champagne Afternoon Tea will also be available over the weekend.
The King’s Coronation Celebration package rate starts from £1,212 per room, per night based on two sharing one Deluxe Room between 2 – 12 May 2023. For more information, visit www.oetkercollection.com/hotels/the-lanesborough/offers/coronation-celebration
THE FOOD OF KINGS’ HEADLINES THE CORONATION CELEBRATIONS AT MANDARIN ORIENTAL HYDE PARK, LONDON
As well as illuminating the front façade of the hotel in blue (the colour of the coronation emblem), between 5 May and 8 May 2023, Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park, London has curated a series of bespoke experiences and events to mark the celebratory occasion.
Dinner by Heston Blumenthal will offer a creative menu of reinvented dishes served at British Coronation banquets throughout the years, including an additional dessert in celebration of His Majesty. This exclusive four-course Royal Coronation Menu includes: Coronation Chicken Tart; King James II (1685) – Veal Sweetbread; King George IV (1821) – Fillet of Beef Royale and King Henry V (1413) and The Trifle; HM King Charles III (2022).
Priced at £155 per person (excluding wine), with an optional wine pairing, the menu is available from 1 May until June 2023.
While The Rosebery will serve a special Coronation Afternoon Tea inspired by the best of British heritage and quintessential afternoon tea dishes served at the royal table. The Coronation Afternoon Tea is priced at £95 and available from 17 April until 14 May 2023. Guests will also be able to enjoy a selection of complimentary Coronation-inspired canapés at The Rosebery and Mandarin Bar between the hours of 19:48 – 20:23 (marking King Charles III’s life from birth to his Coronation) from 5 May to 8 May.
Finally, for a special sweet treat, hotel guests and visitors will be invited to enjoy ‘Coronation lollipops’ infused with whiskey at the Ballroom entrance of the hotel from 6 May to 8 May 2023 from 5-6pm.
REGAL RITUAL AFTERNOON TEA AT THE PARK TOWER
From now to 31 August, guests taking afternoon tea at Knightsbridge’s Park Tower Hotel can enjoy a royal twist to the quintessentially English experience. Chef Gautam Chaudhary’s Regal Ritual Afternoon Tea will feature classic delights including strawberry mini pavlovas with vanilla cream, mango banana marmalade tarte with chocolate crémeux and a wonderful centrepiece of lavender scented white chocolate panna cotta with a shortbread crown. Other delights will include a delicately flavoured hibiscus buttercream and pyramid sponge cake plus, on the savoury side, Scottish smoked salmon finger sandwiches and a Burford Brown egg mayonnaise on light and fluffy croissants.
The Regal Ritual Afternoon Tea will be served in the hotel’s Knightsbridge Lounge Tea Parlour, with its beautiful hand painted canopy of magnolia blossom on draped silk, and spectacular 18-foot teardrop glass chandelier. The Regal Ritual Afternoon Tea is available from 2-6pm daily and costs £49 per person for the Classic Tea; £59 with a glass of Champagne or £69 with a cocktail. Reservations are required 24 hours in advance. To book or for further information please visit www.parktowerknightsbridge.com
THE ROYAL WARRANT HOLDERS
Formed in 1840, the Royal Warrant Holders Association is a prestigious mark of recognition for those who have supplied goods or services for at least five years to the Royal Households. Underlining the destination’s association with quality and taste, an impressive number of Knightsbridge businesses hold the treasured title, including several brands favoured by King Charles III including:
Burberry: With its flagship in Knightsbridge, Burberry’s Royal Warrant title is classified as ‘Outfitter’ to King Charles III. The iconic British luxury brand has significant historic ties to the SW1 postcode. Founder Thomas Burberry opened his first London store in the area, which, 130 years later, remains the home of the brand’s global headquarters.
Dents Gloves: This English glovemaker has a distinguished pedigree and has been making the world’s finest leather gloves since 1777. The company, which has a presence in Harvey Nichols, was awarded a Royal Warrant in 2016. In keeping with the royal connection, there is a wonderful Union Jack design available, so too Windsor, York, Sandhurst and Eton options.
Crockett & Jones: Founded in 1879, Crockett & Jones has specialised in making Goodyear welted shoes for more than 137 years – and has held a Royal Warrant since 2017. With Knightsbridge one of the finest areas for luxury retail in London, it is fitting that the shoemaker has a retail shop on the Brompton Road.
Penhaligon’s: It was humble Cornish barber William Penhaligon who founded his namesake perfumers in 1870. Awarded a Royal Warrant by King Charles (as HRH Prince of Wales) in 1988; the company’s latest fragrance for spring is inspired by the gardens of Highgrove. Highgrove Bouquet is available at Harrods.
Halcyon Days: Established in 1950, Halcyon Days is another Royal Warrant holder with a concession in Harrods and an administrative head office on the Brompton Road. Offering an extensive range of English fine bone china and premium accessories alongside its signature enamel boxes the company is celebrating the coronation of King Charles III with some glorious new designs.
HYDE PARK AND ITS ROYAL CONNECTIONS
Of the eight Royal Parks Hyde Park is the largest, covering an impressive 350 acres. Originally used as a hunting ground by Henry VIII in 1536, the site stretches from Kensington to Buckingham Palace. It was not until 1637 that the nature of the park changed and Charles I opened it to the general public. More notable royal changes occurred in 1730s too, when Queen Caroline, wife of George II, carried out extensive renovations including the creation of The Serpentine.
A venue for national celebrations, in 1814 the Prince Regent organised fireworks to mark the end of the Napoleonic Wars, while in 1851 (during Queen Victoria’s reign) the Great Exhibition was held and in 1977 a Silver Jubilee exhibition honoured Queen Elizabeth II’s 25 years on the throne.
