Every Queen needs a bit of castle time, and I’m no exception. We walked out to one of my happy spots, the ruins of Hadleigh Castle, to take advantage of this morning’s crisp, clear weather. Set on high ground overlooking the Thames Estuary, the ruins of the 13th century castle are beautifully maintained, and provide a lovely but windy place for a picnic in warm weather. It’s pretty brisk and can be quite bleak at this time of year, but today the sun was out and the skies were blue, affording us spectacular views both up and down the river. We could make out the taller London landmarks in the distance, the Shard and Canary Wharf in particular, and to the east we could see Herne Bay and Reculver- a span of at least 60 miles.

Once occupied buy such notables as Edward III, Catherine of Aragon and Anne of Cleves, the castle has clearly seen better days, but centuries on, it’s remnants are still a beloved and much-visited local landmark.