7 hotels where royals love to stay | CNN

<strong>Cliveden House, UK:</strong> Before she married Prince Harry and became the Duchess of Sussex, Meghan Markle stayed here with her mother Doria Ragland.

Cliveden House, UK: Before she married Prince Harry and became the Duchess of Sussex, Meghan Markle stayed here with her mother Doria Ragland.

Courtesy of Cliveden House

<strong>Cliveden House, UK: </strong>The pool is where 19-year-old Christine Keeler met politician John Profumo, sparking an affair which rocked 1960s Britain.

Cliveden House, UK: The pool is where 19-year-old Christine Keeler met politician John Profumo, sparking an affair which rocked 1960s Britain.

Courtesy of Cliveden House

<strong>Cliveden House, UK: </strong>Royal guests over the years at this Berkshire estate include Queen Victoria, King Edward VII and Queen Elizabeth II.

Cliveden House, UK: Royal guests over the years at this Berkshire estate include Queen Victoria, King Edward VII and Queen Elizabeth II.

Courtesy of Cliveden House

<strong>Gstaad Palace, Switzerland:</strong> Gstaad has long been synonymous with the international jet set and no other five-star bolthole is more loved than the legendary Gstaad Palace.

Gstaad Palace, Switzerland: Gstaad has long been synonymous with the international jet set and no other five-star bolthole is more loved than the legendary Gstaad Palace.

Courtesy Gstaad Palace

<strong>Gstaad Palace, Switzerland: </strong>An impressive mountain panorama awaits in the three-bedroom penthouse suite.

Gstaad Palace, Switzerland: An impressive mountain panorama awaits in the three-bedroom penthouse suite.

Courtesy Gstaad Palace

<strong>Gstaad Palace, Switzerland:</strong> Princess Grace, Prince Rainer and their children -- including their son and reigning monarch Prince Albert II -- have all frequented the hotel during their annual winter ski vacations.

Gstaad Palace, Switzerland: Princess Grace, Prince Rainer and their children -- including their son and reigning monarch Prince Albert II -- have all frequented the hotel during their annual winter ski vacations.

Courtesy Gstaad Palace

<strong>Spice Island Beach Resort, Grenada: </strong>The Spice Island Beach Resort is an institution in Grenada, so it's no surprise it has won a number of royal fans (as well as countless awards) over the years.

Spice Island Beach Resort, Grenada: The Spice Island Beach Resort is an institution in Grenada, so it's no surprise it has won a number of royal fans (as well as countless awards) over the years.

Courtesy Spice Island Beach Resort

<strong>Spice Island Beach Resort, Grenada:</strong> The Duke and Duchess of Cornwall chose the contemporary hideaway, where they stayed in the palatial Royal Cinnamon suite with floating four-poster bed and en-suite bathroom boasting views of the ocean, during their 2019 Caribbean tour.

Spice Island Beach Resort, Grenada: The Duke and Duchess of Cornwall chose the contemporary hideaway, where they stayed in the palatial Royal Cinnamon suite with floating four-poster bed and en-suite bathroom boasting views of the ocean, during their 2019 Caribbean tour.

Courtesy Spice Island Beach Resort

<strong>Spice Island Beach Resort, Grenada:</strong> Perfectly nestled on the island's coveted Grand Anse Beach, owner Royston Hopkin, who runs it with his family, has been welcoming the British royals for years.

Spice Island Beach Resort, Grenada: Perfectly nestled on the island's coveted Grand Anse Beach, owner Royston Hopkin, who runs it with his family, has been welcoming the British royals for years.

Courtesy of Spice Island Beach Resort

<strong>Cheval Blanc Randheli, Maldives: </strong>Cheval Blanc is renowned for welcoming A-list guests to its famed outposts around the world; those craving privacy in paradise head to Randheli Island in the Maldives.

Cheval Blanc Randheli, Maldives: Cheval Blanc is renowned for welcoming A-list guests to its famed outposts around the world; those craving privacy in paradise head to Randheli Island in the Maldives.

Courtesy Cheval Blanc Randheli

<strong>Cheval Blanc Randheli, Maldives:</strong> Managed by French luxury goods empire Moët Hennessy -- Louis Vuitton (LVMH), and designed by one of the world's leading architects Jean-Michel Gathy, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge enjoyed a romantic break here in 2013.

Cheval Blanc Randheli, Maldives: Managed by French luxury goods empire Moët Hennessy -- Louis Vuitton (LVMH), and designed by one of the world's leading architects Jean-Michel Gathy, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge enjoyed a romantic break here in 2013.

Courtesy Cheval Blanc Randheli

<strong>Cheval Blanc Randheli, Maldives:</strong> The couple stayed on the two-acre "Private Island," the pinnacle of luxe escapism. A dedicated team of butlers, valets and chefs is on hand for VIP-style pampering.

Cheval Blanc Randheli, Maldives: The couple stayed on the two-acre "Private Island," the pinnacle of luxe escapism. A dedicated team of butlers, valets and chefs is on hand for VIP-style pampering.

Courtesy Cheval Blanc Randheli

<strong>Kampala Serena Hotel, Uganda: </strong>Uganda's Kampala Serena Hotel has hosted Prince Akishino and Princess Kiko of Japan, Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh, Princess Zahra Aga Khan, and Mswati III, King of Eswatini and head of the Swazi royal family.

Kampala Serena Hotel, Uganda: Uganda's Kampala Serena Hotel has hosted Prince Akishino and Princess Kiko of Japan, Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh, Princess Zahra Aga Khan, and Mswati III, King of Eswatini and head of the Swazi royal family.

Courtesy Kampala Serena Hotel

<strong>Kampala Serena Hotel, Uganda: </strong>With architecture and design influenced by the country's cultural and natural heritage, the 188 guests rooms and suites are elegantly furnished boasting an impressive collection by local artisans.

Kampala Serena Hotel, Uganda: With architecture and design influenced by the country's cultural and natural heritage, the 188 guests rooms and suites are elegantly furnished boasting an impressive collection by local artisans.

Courtesy Kampala Serena Hotel

Kampala Serena Hotel, Uganda: High-profile guests praise the exceptional service, as it's impossible to leave this much-loved flagship Serena resort without being enchanted by the genuine warmth of Ugandan hospitality.

Courtesy Kampala Serena Hotel

Tivoli Palácio de Seteais, Portugal: Once the summer retreat of the Portuguese royal family, this 18th-century palace has enjoyed long-established links with aristocratic guests who came to relax and rejuvenate in the charming hills of Sintra.

Tivoli Palácio de Seteais

Tivoli Palácio de Seteais, Portugal: Since 1955 it's been enjoying its latest incarnation as a boutique hotel with just 30 rooms, all which have an unmistakable air of romance with four-poster beds, elaborate tapestries and frescoes of rare beauty.

Courtesy Tivoli Palácio de Seteais

Tivoli Palácio de Seteais, Portugal: A perfect balance between elegance and excellent service, it's welcomed King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima from The Netherlands, as well as pop royalty -- the queenly Madonna -- in recent years.

Tivoli Palácio de Seteais

<strong>Emirates Palace, UAE: </strong>Sun, sea and unparalleled luxury can be found at Abu Dhabi's spectacular Emirates Palace, which opened in 2005 to the reported tune of US$1 billion.

Emirates Palace, UAE: Sun, sea and unparalleled luxury can be found at Abu Dhabi's spectacular Emirates Palace, which opened in 2005 to the reported tune of US$1 billion.

<strong>Emirates Palace, UAE: </strong>Dripping with gold, its 394 elaborate residences with palatial marble bathrooms are a blend of Arabian splendor and state of the art mod cons.

Emirates Palace, UAE: Dripping with gold, its 394 elaborate residences with palatial marble bathrooms are a blend of Arabian splendor and state of the art mod cons.

<strong>Emirates Palace, UAE: </strong>More than 1,000 Swarovski chandeliers fill the hallways, rooms and lobbies and bring light to the palace's celebrated golden ceilings.

Emirates Palace, UAE: More than 1,000 Swarovski chandeliers fill the hallways, rooms and lobbies and bring light to the palace's celebrated golden ceilings.

Photo tour of royals' favorite hotels

CNN —

From the British Windsors to the Aga Khan to Monaco’s House of Grimaldi, privacy and discretion is paramount for royals when traveling. First-class hospitality, personalized service and luxury amenities are also essential, so it takes a truly remarkable hotel to capture their hearts.

With far-flung and glamorous destinations from Grenada to Gstaad on their radar, and private jets at their disposable, the world is their oyster.

Travel in the royals’ regal footsteps with seven of their favorite places to stay:

Cliveden House, UK

Before she married Prince Harry and became the Duchess of Sussex, Meghan Markle stayed at Cliveden House with her mother Doria Ragland.

Courtesy Cliveden House

The former home of several Dukes and the Viscount Astors, Cliveden House is now most closely associated with the Duchess of Sussex; US actress Meghan Markle stayed with her mother Doria Ragland the night before her wedding to Prince Harry in 2018.

Previous royal guests over the years include Queen Victoria, King Edward VII and Queen Elizabeth II.

The Berkshire estate, which boasts a chequered history of scandalous affairs among the jet-set elite, most famously the notorious Profumo Affair of 1961, is now enjoying a new lease of life as a sumptuous country hotel after being sold to the National Trust in 1985.

All 48 rooms and suites are named after a prominent figure from Cliveden’s past with the décor to match. One of the finest options is The Lady Astor, complete with a huge canopy bed and decadent upholstered velvet furniture.

Cliveden House & Spa, Taplow, Berkshire, England SL6 0JF; +44 1628 607 107

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7 luxurious hotels loved by royalty

Photo tour of royals' favorite hotels

Cliveden House, UK

Gstaad Palace, Switzerland