Queen's House

One of the first care homes to reintroduce indoor visiting was Queen's House in Kelso, where 90 year-old Mary Cook had a visit from her daughter Fiona Scott for the first time in three months.

Life with Monique and Jordan was so different from the relaxed, loving atmosphere of Aunt Queen’s house.

On the roof of the half-timbered Queen’s House within the Tower complex, a big black raven sat, eyeballing damp visitors as they trundled across the bridge over the waterless moat.

Meanwhile, in south-east London on the lawns of the National Maritime museum, Greenwich, beside the Queen’s House, crowds gathered to watch the royal wedding on a big screen.

But at Sandringham recently, where the public can walk through the queen’s house, view prized portraits and heirlooms — including shotguns and other antique weaponry — visitors seemed less than convinced that the cash was needed.