The Goring hotel

"This world-class hotel has a wonderfully rich history and has been dutifully run by the same family for over a century. When it opened in 1910 it was the first hotel in the world to offer en-suite facilities and central heating in every room. Today, The Goring boasts the Royal Warrant; for hosting the Duchess of Cambridge the night before her wedding. Two billion people tuned in to watch Kate Middleton make her way from The Goring to Westminster Abbey – not a bad advert for the hotel! Kate isn’t the only royal fan, the coronations of George VI and Queen Elizabeth filled the hotel with famous faces and foreign royalty."

"Asking someone to marry you is one of the biggest, most nerve-wracking questions you’ll ever be asked! (or ask). There is the option of just getting down on one knee in the kitchen, but when you’re old and grey and reminisce about the moment, wouldn’t you rather be remembering a stunning hotel, bubbly and four-poster than a pile of washing up? The Goring in London isn’t the most well known hotel in the capital, but it’s one of the most intimate, with opulent rooms, delightful garden and brilliant staff, so you know your engagement will be in safe hands. One word to the team in advance and you’ll be getting room upgrades and bottles of Champagne before you can say Mr & Mrs."

"For the crème de la crème of an aristocratic English Garden Wedding follow in the steps of royalty and, the rich and famous at The Goring. This is where Kate stayed the night before her wedding. For an ultra decadent touch celebrate with A Bollinger Afternoon tea on the terrace of the secluded garden served just as The Duchess of Bedford intended."

"The Goring is now world-famous because it was from here that Kate Middleton set off to become the Duchess of Cambridge in 2011, but the hotel has played a role in national life since it opened in 1910. During the First World War the Allied command centre was based here. When the soldiers moved out in 1919, Lady Randolph Churchill, mother of Sir Winston moved in."