The Langham, London, is having a Royal Wedding season all summer, with packages priced between £595 and £15,000 per night. The Langham
The Langham, London, is having a Royal Wedding season all summer, with packages priced between £595 and £15,000 per night. The Langham
The Langham, London, is having a Royal Wedding season all summer, with packages priced between £595 and £15,000 per night. The Langham
The Langham, London, is having a Royal Wedding season all summer, with packages priced between £595 and £15,000 per night. The Langham

Go on a royal tour of the UK - whether you're a pauper or a prince


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Readers of The National's travel pages can easily create their own royal wedding tour by using our recently published guide to Windsor, taking a trip on the River Thames or a walking tour around London's Kensington Palace, or by following the route of the carriage procession as it would be on the day.

For those who want to indulge further in celebrating the upcoming nuptials of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle can book one of a number of decadent – and expensive – packages being offered by luxury hotels and tour operators. Note that, ironically, tours of Windsor Castle will not be available on the big day itself, May 19.

A Royal Season at historic London hotel The Langham

Opened by the Prince Regent in 1865, The Langham, which has welcomed dozens of royally connected guests from Wallis Simpson to Princess Diana, is partnering with three Royal Warrant holders to create two offers that are available from May 19 (Harry and Meghan's wedding) to October 12 (the date that Princess Eugenie marries Jack Brooksbank). The Royal Season package, which costs from £595 (Dh3,053) per room, per night, includes accommodation for two in a deluxe room, breakfast, and two "behind-the-scenes" experiences. These include bespoke tours and styling consultations at Savile Row tailor Gieves & Hawkes, a guided visit to Floris London (the only appointed perfumer to Queen Elizabeth II) or outdoor outfitter Hunter.

For those who want to go all-out, the Ultimate Royal Season Package – which costs from £15,000 (Dh76,932) per night – includes accommodation in the 236-square-metre Infinity Suite, which features two bedrooms, a kitchen, bathroom with infinity bath, and your own private butler. Or for £25,000 (Dh128,220), get even more regal in The Sterling Suite – featuring a lounge with baby grand piano, dining room, media room and up to five additional bedrooms, alongside the master suite. The experiences include a two-hour bespoke perfume-creation experience with Floris and a bespoke suit to the value of £5,500 from Gieves & Hawkes. Breakfast and two pairs of limited-edition Hunter boots are also included in the price for two guests.

Live like a duke mere steps away from Buckingham Palace

Dukes Hotel in London. Small Luxury Hotels of the World
Dukes Hotel in London. Small Luxury Hotels of the World

Dukes London, a five-minute walk from Buckingham Palace, is offering "A Royal Escape" for two including accommodation, transfers from Heathrow or Gatwick airports, a walking tour of Westminster, afternoon tea in the drawing room, a three-course dinner at GBR restaurant, a trip to Windsor Castle with free picnic breakfast and a royal wedding souvenir. The offer costs from £637 (Dh3,267) per night, between April 27 and June 3, 2018.

Hotel Cafe Royal offers a suitably regal experience

Between now and June 21, Hotel Cafe Royal in Piccadilly is offering a choice of two royal wedding packages – the Regent Royal Wedding Package, which costs from £2,600 (Dh13,337) per night, and the Empire Royal Wedding Package, from £6,500 (Dh33,344) per night.

A bedroom in the Empire Suite at Hotel Cafe Royal, London. Hotel Cafe Royal
A bedroom in the Empire Suite at Hotel Cafe Royal, London. Hotel Cafe Royal

The first includes an overnight stay in a Regent suite, a limousine tour to Windsor Castle to visit the Chapel and the State Apartments with a picnic hamper, and visits to Royal Warrant Holder retailers in London’s Mayfair and St James. The second package includes an overnight stay in an Empire Suite,

a helicopter tour of London, tickets to the Royal County of Berkshire Polo Club, and the above tours.

Royal wedding package at The Arch London

Guests at London's The Arch hotel in Marylebone are promised "royal treatment" with a two-night stay in a two-bedroom suite including a three-course dinner, decadent breakfasts and a quintessential Royal Afternoon Tea.

The Royal Afternoon Tea at The Arch, London. The Arch London
The Royal Afternoon Tea at The Arch, London. The Arch London

The package includes a tour of Windsor Castle and a £100 (Dh512) Fortnum & Mason shopping voucher, and airport transfers. The Royal Wedding package costs at £3,900 (Dh20,000) per room for a two-night stay based on two people sharing, throughout May 2018.

Royal Wedding Package at Royal Lancaster London

At the Royal Lancaster London hotel at Lancaster Gate on Hyde Park, the recently renovated hotel is offering a Royal Wedding Package throughout May that includes an overnight stay in the hotel's royal suite, with panoramic views over Hyde Park and the London skyline.

View from the Royal Lancaster, London. Royal Lancaster
View from the Royal Lancaster, London. Royal Lancaster

During the stay, guests will enjoy the Royal Signature Afternoon Tea for two, an indulgent full English Breakfast served in the suite, a luxury Fortnum & Mason personalised hamper, a White Company gift bag, a £100 voucher for Harrods or Selfridges and a royal wedding souvenir. The Royal Wedding package starts from £3,500 (Dh17,900) per night, based on two people sharing.

A Scots royal tour in Edinburgh

 The Dunstane Houses in Edinburgh is launching a dedicated 'Live like a Royal' package, which will take guests to the city's key royal sites. At the renovated town house hotel dating back to 1852, guests will be welcomed by a royal-themed afternoon tea, while

the following day, the hotel's resident guide will take guests on a day-long tour of the city's royal hotspots clad in full Scottish plaid. These include Linlithgow Palace where the young Scottish Queen was born, Borthwick Castle, where Mary was besieged in 1567 and Holyrood Palace, the current Queen's official residence in Scotlands. The tour will conclude with a visit to the Royal Yacht Britannia and Edinburgh Castle, followed by dinner back at the hotel.

A room at Dunstane Houses, Edinburgh. Rita Platts
A room at Dunstane Houses, Edinburgh. Rita Platts

The Dunstane Houses' 'Live Like a Royal' package starts from £475 (Dh2,400) per night including the aforementioned activities on a B&B basis; https://thedunstane.com/experiencesscotland-type/the-royal-treatment/.

Full royal tour with Road Scholar

For those for whom a hotel break isn't enough, American tour operator Road Scholar has created an 8-day "Inside the British Monarchy" tour which includes a tour of Windsor Castle, celebrating the actual wedding day with a traditional street party, learning from the former head of security at royal events about the planning and organising of the wedding, and exploring Kensington Palace with a former Royal Protection officer. The trip costs from $2,499 (Dh9,177).

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Squads

India: Kohli (c), Rahul, Shaw, Agarwal, Pujara, Rahane, Vihari, Pant (wk), Ashwin, Jadeja, Kuldeep, Shami, Umesh, Siraj, Thakur

West Indies: Holder (c), Ambris, Bishoo, Brathwaite, Chase, Dowrich (wk), Gabriel, Hamilton, Hetmyer, Hope, Lewis, Paul, Powell, Roach, Warrican, Joseph

The biog

Favourite book: You Are the Placebo – Making your mind matter, by Dr Joe Dispenza

Hobby: Running and watching Welsh rugby

Travel destination: Cyprus in the summer

Life goals: To be an aspirational and passionate University educator, enjoy life, be healthy and be the best dad possible.

How being social media savvy can improve your well being

Next time when procastinating online remember that you can save thousands on paying for a personal trainer and a gym membership simply by watching YouTube videos and keeping up with the latest health tips and trends.

As social media apps are becoming more and more consumed by health experts and nutritionists who are using it to awareness and encourage patients to engage in physical activity.

Elizabeth Watson, a personal trainer from Stay Fit gym in Abu Dhabi suggests that “individuals can use social media as a means of keeping fit, there are a lot of great exercises you can do and train from experts at home just by watching videos on YouTube”.

Norlyn Torrena, a clinical nutritionist from Burjeel Hospital advises her clients to be more technologically active “most of my clients are so engaged with their phones that I advise them to download applications that offer health related services”.

Torrena said that “most people believe that dieting and keeping fit is boring”.

However, by using social media apps keeping fit means that people are “modern and are kept up to date with the latest heath tips and trends”.

“It can be a guide to a healthy lifestyle and exercise if used in the correct way, so I really encourage my clients to download health applications” said Mrs Torrena.

People can also connect with each other and exchange “tips and notes, it’s extremely healthy and fun”.

Squad

Ali Kasheif, Salim Rashid, Khalifa Al Hammadi, Khalfan Mubarak, Ali Mabkhout, Omar Abdulrahman, Mohammed Al Attas, Abdullah Ramadan, Zayed Al Ameri (Al Jazira), Mohammed Al Shamsi, Hamdan Al Kamali, Mohammed Barghash, Khalil Al Hammadi (Al Wahda), Khalid Essa, Mohammed Shaker, Ahmed Barman, Bandar Al Ahbabi (Al Ain), Al Hassan Saleh, Majid Suroor (Sharjah) Walid Abbas, Ahmed Khalil (Shabab Al Ahli), Tariq Ahmed, Jasim Yaqoub (Al Nasr), Ali Saleh, Ali Salmeen (Al Wasl), Hassan Al Muharami (Baniyas)