From 1278 to 1552, it was customary for the castle to be part of a queen’s dowry and retained during widowhood. Queen Isabella, Anne of Bohemia, and Joan of Navarre all once resided in Leeds Castle.

The Queen’s Bedroom and Bathroom at Leeds Castle are reconstructions of chambers used by Catherine de Valois [1401 – 1437], wife of Henry V, who stayed at Leeds Castle on many occasions. Brought by him from France as a young bride, she was widowed by the age of 22. When a secret affair with the commoner Owen Tudor was revealed in subsequent years, scandal ensued. Nonetheless, the two had four sons, one of whom fathered King Henry VII.

Henry VIII, perhaps the most famous of all royal owners, was responsible for much of Leeds Castle’s splendor. He spent lavishly to transform the castle from a rugged fortress into a royal palace. The Henry VIII Banqueting Hall bears testament to this reconstruction, and retains features dating from 1517.