Rubbing elbows with ‘royalty’

If you’ve always wanted to eat and drink like a Tudor monarch or if you fancy an imaginary audience with the original Queen Elizabeth, this is your year to visit Britain’s Hampton Court Palace.

The royal estate along the Thames outside London is marking the 400th anniversary of the death of Good Queen Bess with a year of programs that begin this week. They honor the life and times of the beloved monarch whose reign, from 1558 to 1603, embraced the English Renaissance, with its flowering of drama and poetry by William Shakespeare, Christopher Marlowe and other literary giants.

Children’s games and activities Saturday through Feb. 23 will focus on the voyages of Walter Raleigh, Francis Drake and other explorers launched by Elizabeth and her successor, King James I. They sought the lost city of Eldorado and settled Virginia and Nova Scotia in the New World, among other exploits.

Every weekend from April 5 to May 18, and at Easter, historian-chefs will whip up Elizabethan dishes in the palace’s restored kitchen. Ingredients include potatoes, cocoa, Oriental spices and other discoveries by English voyagers of the time.

Throughout August, reenactors will portray the monarch, her courtiers and knights in tournaments. At audiences with the “queen,” visitors can exchange gossip. Children can learn how to fight with mock swords and other weapons.

Children are also a focus in October. Activities include making ruffs and learning about royal school life.

The celebration will end with an Elizabethan Christmas, Dec. 27 to Jan. 1, with festive foods, games, dances and other fun.

Admission to Hampton Court Palace is about $18 for adults and $12 for children. Tickets can be purchased at the entrance or in advance. 011-44-870-752-7777 (for information), 011-44-870-753-7777 (tickets), www.hrp.org.uk (information and tickets).