Cliveden

Cliveden is one of the most popular visitor attractions in Buckinghamshire. Now run by the National Trust, this house has been home to more than one member of the nobility. Former residents include two dukes, one Prince of Wales, the Astor family and several countesses. Almost half a million people visit Cliveden each year.

In the 1920s and 1930s it was the home of Nancy Astor and it was at the forefront of society gatherings. However, its reputation received an unusual boost in the 1960s as the location of the events at the centre of the Profumo Affair. It has even been used as a university, having been owned by Stanford University in the 1970s. The National Trust runs it as a five-star hotel. Royal watchers will recognise it as the place where the now Duchess of Sussex stayed the night before her marriage to Prince Harry.

The name of the house refers to the valley setting of the house and over the years the spelling of the name has changed a little. The gardens and woodlands are now open to the public and there are certain parts of the mansion that visitors can tour at certain times of the year.