What to see at the Palace launch



Stirling Heads – This ceiling, complete with hand-carved replicas of the magnificent Stirling Heads, is a real palace highlight. Just as exciting is the chance to get a close-up view of the wonderful 16th-century originals in a gallery on the upper floor.

Fabulous apartments – the queen’s bedchamber is, perhaps, the most beautiful of the refurbished royal apartments, with its marvellous wall hangings and splendid four-poster bed.


Tapestries worth £1 million – these fabulous hand-woven tapestries now hanging in the royal palace have taken a team of weavers a decade to make by hand. There are more than 100 different colours of wool, dozens of silks, plus gold and silver thread.


Actress Angela Branney, 22, will be queen for the weekend – she is seen here, dressed as dowager queen Mary of Guise, with other performers as they rehearse for the big opening event.

Face-to-face with the past – facial reconstructions of a medieval knight and lady, whose skeletons were found during excavations linked to the palace project. The reconstructions will be part of our new exhibition on castle history.