The Royal Tour

A walk in the footsteps of the woman who will be Queen.

BY: KIM IZZO

I’m lying in bed in my London hotel room. It’s a bright and balmy March morning, the crocuses and daffodils that grace the window box on my private terrace are in glorious bloom, and any moment breakfast will be brought to me by a footman dressed in formal morning suit. Did I say footman? I meant bellman – or did I? You see, this isn’t just any bed in just any London hotel. No sir or madam: my body is lying snug atop a giant fluffy mattress fit for a queen. And given the fact that said mattress is in The Goring Hotel, that is not a pun. The Goring is the oh-so-discreet five-star hotel where the then Kate Middleton spent her final night as a singleton last April 28 before marrying Prince William, the man who will one day become king.

My room is called the Belgravia Suite, complete with foyer, formal sitting room with fireplace and red damask sofas, and a marble bathroom with heated floors. While I assume that the now Duchess of Cambridge spent the night in the Royal Suite, the Belgravia is so posh (and yet down-home comfy at the same time) that I wonder if at least one of the Middletons slept here. But I’m not to find out because the staff isn’t dishing the dirt on any guests, never mind such highfalutin ones. Discretion is key at such a storied hotel, where Prince Charles is rumoured to be a regular in the dining room, which serves traditional English dishes. Given that Buckingham Palace is but a finger sandwich away, it is no wonder the Firm is a frequent customer.

I have the good fortune to be staying here as part of Visit Britain’s media onslaught to drum up interest in the various goings-on in London and vicinity this summer – the two hottest tickets in town being the 2012 Summer Olympic Games and the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee. It is the latter that has this royal watcher falling over her scones to get the inside scoop.