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Picture a medieval castle, a royal palace and an elegant country retreat and you have Leeds Castle. Set on an island surrounded by a moat in the heart of Kent, the castle provides peace, privacy and security for residential and day conferences, meetings, corporate hospitality and banqueting.
Leeds Castle has hosted important events since a reception took place in 1290 for Edward I and his French bride, Eleanor of Castile. In May 1520, an entire tented village was erected when Henry VIII, his queen Catherine of Aragon and a retinue of 4,000 courtiers stayed on their way to the “Field of the Cloth of Gold” tournament.
Olive, Lady Baillie, the castle’s last private owner, wanted it to remain a place “where people met and things happened”. In her day that ranged from legendary weekend house parties filled with Hollywood stars like Charlie Chaplain, Noel Coward and David Niven to secret political talks involving Churchill and General Montgomery during World War II.
Now owned and operated by a charity established by Lady Baillie, the tradition of hospitality continues. In 1978 the Arab - Israeli peace talks, precursors to the first Camp David Agreement, took place in the castle, as did the Northern Ireland peace talks of 2004 hosted by former Prime Minister, Tony Blair.
One thousand years of history made by royalty, politicians and stars of their day. Now it’s your turn.
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