Child's play at Stirling's Castle's Royal Court

15 July 2011

Travel back five hundred years in Scottish history and experience what life would have been like for a child of the royal court at Stirling Castle.

On Saturday 23rd and Sunday 24th July, from 11:00am until 4:00pm visitors can learn how to be a knight, what noble people wore, why boys wore long dresses until they were seven and be instructed on courtly past times and crafts by the ladies of the court.

There will also be a school for jesters and spies, a treasure hunt around the Castle, an audience with the young Queen, storytelling sessions and a demonstration of the weapons used at that time.

Horrible history tales will also be told about food and manners, why fruit and vegetables were not on the menu and why washing wasn’t good for you.

Castle Executive Manager Gillian Macdonald said:  “Visitors can join in lots of activities with our costumed characters and enjoy a fun-packed day out.  They can also learn all about the childhood of Mary Queen of Scots, one of the most fascinating females in Scottish history.”   

“Furthermore it is an opportunity to see the beautifully refurbished interiors of six royal apartments in the palace building, which was the childhood home of Mary Queen of Scots, and her mother Mary of Guise.”  

Entry is included in the normal price of admission to the castle.

Adult £13.00   Concession £10.00   Child £6.50

Entry free for Historic Scotland members

A Child of the Royal Court - Programme for the day

11.00am	Story Telling Aesop’s Fables
11.30am	Fashion for the young noble
12.00noon	School for fools
12.30pm	To be a Knight (dependant on weather)
1.00pm	Fashion of the young noble
1.30pm	An audience with the young Queen
1.45 pm	School for fools
2.00pm	Story Telling Aesop’s Fables
3.00pm	To be a Knight (dependant on weather)

Fun and food throughout the day
Princes’ and Princesses’ pastimes, throughout the day

Notes for editors:

• A full media pack about the palace project is available online at www.stirlingcastle.gov.uk/mediapack.  
• For all the latest on the palace project, and everything else that happening at Stirling Castle, visit our website at www.stirlingcastle.gov.uk and sign up for our free e-newsletter.
• Stirling Castle is at the top of Stirling Old Town off the M9 at junction 9 or 10. Call 01786 450000
• Historic Scotland has 345 historic properties and sites in its care. These include some of the leading tourism attractions in the country, including Edinburgh, Stirling, and Urquhart Castles, Fort George, Linlithgow Palace, the Border Abbeys, and Skara Brae. For further details visit: www.historic-scotland.gov.uk/places.  
• Historic Scotland around the web: www.twitter.com/welovehistory, www.facebook.com/visithistoricscotland, www.youtube.com/historicscotlandtv and www.flickr.com/groups/makeyourownhistory
• Historic Scotland is an executive agency of the Scottish Government charged with safeguarding the nation’s historic environment. The agency is fully accountable to Scottish Ministers and through them to the Scottish Parliament. For more information visit www.historic-scotland.gov.uk