Royals' favourite retreats revealed

Inspired by this week's release of The Queen, which premiered in Venice earlier this month, Teletext Holidays has put together a guide of the very best places to spot a real-life royal.

The film stars Helen Mirren, who plays Queen Elizabeth II at the time of Princess Diana's death.

At the time of the tragedy the Queen retreats behind the walls of Balmoral Castle with her family, and the castle is just one of the many destinations where holidaymakers may get the chance to see royals.

Royal Retreats – places to see the Queen and other royals

Balmoral Castle, Aberdeenshire, Scotland
Balmoral Castle on the Balmoral estate in Aberdeenshire, Scotland is the Queen's private residence.

Beloved by Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, Balmoral Castle has remained a favourite residence for the Queen and her family during the summer holiday period in August and September.

The castle is located on the large Balmoral estate, a working estate which aims to protect the environment while contributing to the local economy.

The grounds, gardens and the castle ballroom are open to visitors from the beginning of April to the end of July each year, under the management of the Balmoral Estate Office.

A two-night weekend break at the Hilton Aberdeen Treetops costs from £139 per couple and includes bed and breakfast and dinner on the first night. Offer available throughout September (subject to availability). For further information visit Teletext page 200.

Buckingham Palace
Buckingham Palace has served as the official London residence of Britain's sovereigns since 1837.

It evolved from a town house that was owned from the beginning of the 18th century by the Duke of Buckingham. Today it is the Queen's official residence. Although in use for the many official events and receptions held by the Queen, areas of Buckingham Palace are opened to visitors on a regular basis.

The state rooms of the palace are open to visitors during the annual summer opening in August and September.

They are lavishly furnished with some of the greatest treasures from the royal collection - paintings by Rembrandt, Rubens, Vermeer, Poussin, Canaletto and Claude; sculptures by Canova and Chantrey; exquisite examples of Sevres porcelain; and some of the finest English and French furniture in the world.

Clarence House
Clarence House, which stands beside St James' Palace, was built between 1825 and 1827 to the designs of John Nash for Prince William Henry, Duke of Clarence. He lived there as King William IV from 1830 until 1837. During its history, the house has been altered, reflecting the changes in occupancy over nearly two centuries.

It was the London home of Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, from 1953 until 2002 and was also the home of the Queen, then Princess Elizabeth, and the Duke of Edinburgh following their marriage in 1947.

Today Clarence House is the official London residence of the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall. It is open to the public during the summer months each year.

A two-night weekend break at the Hilton Kensington costs from £199 per couple and includes bed & breakfast and dinner on the first night. Offer available throughout September (subject to availability). For further information visit Teletext page 200.

Sandringham House – Norfolk
Sandringham House in Norfolk has been the private home of four generations of sovereigns since 1862.

The Queen and other members of the royal family regularly spend Christmas at Sandringham and make it their official base until February each year.

Like Balmoral, the Sandringham estate is a commercial estate managed privately on the Queen's behalf. Sandringham House, the museum and the grounds are open to visitors.

For more information on holidaying in Norfolk see www.visitnorfolk.co.uk

Windsor Castle – Windsor
Windsor Castle is an official residence of the Queen and the largest occupied castle in the world. A royal home and fortress for over 900 years, Windsor remains a working palace today.

Visitors can walk around the state apartments, extensive suites of rooms at the heart of the working palace. For part of the year visitors can also see the semi-state rooms, which have some of the most splendid interiors in the castle.

They are furnished with treasures from the royal collection including paintings by Holbein, Rubens, Van Dyck and Lawrence, fine tapestries and porcelain, sculpture and armour.

For more information on holidaying in Windsor see www.windsor.gov.uk

Highgrove Estate – Near Tetbury, Gloucestershire
Prince Charles and Princess Diana took up residence at Highgrove soon after they were married in 1981.

Highgrove became the first home for Charles and Diana's sons William and Harry and they spent much of their early years on the estate before starting school.

Princess Diana is reported to have made many shopping trips to neighbouring Tetbury and Cirencester during her years at Highgrove and locals became used to seeing her and the young princes out and about in the area.

Diana officially moved out of Highgrove following the breakdown of her marriage to Charles in the early 1990s.

Prince Charles currently uses the 37-acre estate to promote his interest in organic farming and gardening.

For more information on holidaying in Gloucestershire see www.gloucester.gov.ukXXX