Kenilworth Castle, Warwickshire, is one of the great historical sites of the United Kingdom. First built in the 1120s and a royal castle for most of its history, it was expanded by King John, John of Gaunt and Henry V. In 1563 Elizabeth I granted it to her favourite, Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester, who converted the castle into a lavish palace fit to entertain his queen. Famously he entertained the queen here for 19 days of festivities in 1575. Although the castle’s fortifications were dismant