Jousting at Leeds Castle – Knights of Royal England

As mentioned in a previous post, one of my favourite locations to cover is Leeds Castle near Maidstone in Kent, which has been voted “The Loveliest Castle in the World” – with very good reason too. The castle stands on three islands surrounded by a lake and forms the focal point of attraction within 500 acres of one of the loveliest country settings any Fairytale Prince or Princess could wish for.

Last June I happened to visit Leeds Castle when the Jousting was on. It was a really wonderful display and I was amazed by skill of the riders known as The Knights of Royal England who perform displays twice daily featuring thrilling jousting tournaments from knights on horseback, medieval weapon and sword fights, all of which are set against the historic backdrop of the 900-year old castle. There are also some wonderful craft activities available in for children – all this as well as the regular attractions available; the beautiful castle, the ferry trip around the lake, the maze, grotto, falconry displays and the of course the adventure playgrounds.

I revisited the castle last month during the half term holidays when the Knights were back for another joust. They really are incredibly talented showmen and women and the performance was even better than I remembered. You may recognise at least one of the images from this set, as it was featured on the BBC News website as part of the ‘Heritage’ themed photo contest.

As an annual pass holder, I will be going to see the jousting again at  Hever Castle, (Kent) when the Knights are performing on various dates throughout the summer holidays. If you’d like me to join you there to capture some natural family portraits before going on to enjoy the performance then please do get in touch!