Royal Musings: Day 4 Savill Garden and Windsor Great Park

Back in 2011, my friend Katrina and I had planned to visit the Savill Garden in Windsor Great Park. Unfortunately, the rain was incessant with no sign of stopping so we had to employ Plan B. Katrina recommended we visit Clandon Park near Guildford, a stately home, once owned by the Earls of Ormonde and now a National Trust Property. A good decision, as in April 2015, Clandon Park was largely destroyed by fire.

The sun was having problems trying to come out on June 4, but we decided to attempt a visit to Savill Garden, followed by a walk through Windsor Great Park to see Cumberland Lodge, once the home of Prince and Princess Christian (Princess Helena) and find the statue of Prince Albert riding a horse.

The Savill Garden is superb. We did not get to see all of the gardens, as we had other things on the to-do-list.

We did enjoy lunch at the Garden's cafe, as most of the food is locally grown. We left Katrina's car in the parking lot. Armed with a map, we headed toward Cumberland Gate and then onto Cumberland Lodge.

The Lodge was built in the 17th Century. Charles II decided that the house would be the official home of the Ranger of Great Park. Queen Anne named Sarah Churchill (Duchess of Marlborough) as Ranger in 1702, a position she held into her death in 1744. The Duke of Marlborough died at Cumberland Lodge (then known as Windsor Lodge.) in 1722.

King George II's son, Prince William, Duke of Cumberland, served as Ranger until his death in 1765. He was succeeded by his nephew, Prince Henry, Duke of Cumberland and Strathearn, who died in 1790. His widow, Anne, remained in the Lodge until her death in 1804.

Prince Albert, the consort of Queen Victoria served as Ranger from 1840 until 1861. Prince Christian of Schleswig-Holstein, who married Princess Helena in 1866, was named as Ranger in 1867. He remained Ranger until his death in 1917. The Duke of Edinburgh is the current Ranger of Windsor Great Park.

Cumberland Lodge ceased to be a royal residence after 1917. Alexander Hardinge, King Edward VIII's Private Secretary met with Stanley Baldwin at the Lodge in 1936 to discuss Edward VIII's abdication.

In 1947, King George VI gave Cumberland Lodge to an educational foundation.

The parking lot was full so something was going on. I snapped a few photos before we decided to see if we could see anything inside. Katrina let me do all the talking -- that sweet American voice of mine.

We could not get a tour so I asked: Do you have any guidebooks? Two, as a matter of fact. Katrina and I each bought both guidebooks. A win for us and for Cumberland Lodge.

Afterward, we resumed our walk toward Smith's Lawn (where Charles and his sons played polo) to find the statue of Prince Albert. We also discovered a statue of Prince Philip playing polo (at the Guards' Polo Club), and then finally made to the Cumberland Obelisk (named for Prince William, Duke of Cumberland) before heading back to the car.

A few weeks ago, I saw the movie All is True, which was about Shakespeare's final years at Stratford-upon-Avon. The movie starred Sir Kenneth Branagh and Dame Judi Dench. The movie was filmed at Dorney Court, a Tudor home near Datchet. The house remains in the Palmer family but is only open a few times a year. In her response to me in an email, Anna Palmer said that the exterior of the house can be seen from the parking lot of a garden center. Katrina pulled out her GPS and off we went. It was pouring rain by the time we got there, but I did get a few photos. Dorney Court will be open in August and Katrina plans to visit and tell me more about. The Garden Center sells postcards and a guidebook, which I purchased.

Dorney Court is a popular site for movies and television and programs,

In the evening, Katrina and I joined another good friend, biographer Coryne Hall and her husband, Colin, for dinner at a local restaurant.