The author provides an illustrated survey of England's and Scotland's principal royal residences, tracing their transformation from medieval fortresses into later palaces and describing architectural features, interior rooms, ceremonial functions, notable events, and losses to fire and demolition. Each chapter focuses on a particular site, outlining its layout, historical uses, and surviving monuments while noting vanished or altered structures. Brief architectural description and anecdotal historical incidents accompany plates and line drawings to give a compact account of how these residences developed and changed over time.