7 surprising facts about what connects us to Great Britain and Scotland

1. Elizabeth II in the Czech Republic

The British monarch visited the Czech Republic for the first time in March 1996. Queen Elizabeth II and her husband Prince Philip took part in a three-day state visit organised by then-President Václav Havel. In Prague, they visited important monuments such as Charles Bridge, Old Town Hall, and Prague Castle, and also visited Brno. During her stay, the Queen met with Czech pilots who served in the British Army during the Second World War.

Elizabeth II (1926–2022) was on the throne for an impressive 70 years and 214 days. She had been at the head of the United Kingdom since 6 February 1952, and during her reign, Britain celebrated silver, golden, diamond and sapphire jubilees. She was the only British monarch to live to see a platinum jubilee, i.e. 70 years of reign. Had she lived until the summer of 2024, she would have surpassed the record of Louis XIV, the French Sun King, who sat on the throne for 72 years and 110 days, making him the longest-reigning monarch in the world.

After her death in September 2022, her son, King Charles III, took over the British throne.

2. Thun Palace or the British Embassy

A visit to Thun Palace, located on Thunova Street in Malá Strana and serving as the British Embassy since 1919, is not a common occurrence. The representative rooms of the Baroque palace and the rooms where Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Charles and Margaret Thatcher stayed were first opened to visitors in 2014. Open days are held only on rare occasions, so if you are interested in seeing the embassy up close and not just from the street, keep an eye on our events calendar.

The Embassy of the Czech Republic in London is located together with the Slovak Embassy on the corner of Kensington Palace Gardens and Bayswater Road in a brutalist-style building. This 1965 building, designed by architects Jan Bočan, Jan Šrámek and Karl Štěpánský from the Beta Prague Project Institute, won an award from the Royal Institute of British Architects as the best building in the United Kingdom designed by foreign architects.

3. Bohemia and Shakespeare’s The Winter’s Tale

If you only know Britain from hearsay, you probably know more than Britons who rely on the works of William Shakespeare. In The Winter’s Tale, the famous playwright describes Bohemia as a land by the sea, which amused his contemporaries. Some believe that this refers to the time of King Přemysl Otakar II, when the territory under the Czech king actually stretched to the Adriatic Sea, while others consider it a printing error or intentional. This geographical error may have been used deliberately to emphasise the fantastical and unrealistic nature of the whole story.

4. Windsor Castle, three nobles and three castles

Windsor Castle in Berkshire was not only a favourite place of Queen Elizabeth, but it is also the oldest and second largest inhabited castle in the world after Prague Castle. Together with Buckingham Palace in London and Holyrood Palace in Edinburgh, Windsor is one of the three official royal residences. Elizabeth spent most of her weekends here with her family.

Easter and in June, when the Royal Ascot horse races take place. It is said that Windsor served as the inspiration for the neo-Gothic Hluboká Castle, which is full of decorative elements, bay windows, towers and domes. But the reality is even more fascinating: when Prince Jan Adolf II of Schwarzenberg travelled around Britain with his wife Eleonora, Count František Arnošt Harrach and Prince Lichtenstein, they brought back inspiration for three castles in the Czech Republic. As early as 1839, Count Harrach began building Hrádek u Nechanic, a romantic residence in the Windsor Gothic style, and later Prince Liechtenstein carried out historicising modifications to Lednice Castle.

5. The Kew Summer Palace at Veltrusy Castle

The extensive park around Veltrusy Castle, decorated with pavilions and bridges, is also home to many beautiful buildings. Among the most attractive is the Great Temple, or Temple of the Defenders of the Fatherland and Friends of Gardens and the Countryside. It was created in 1794 by architect Matěj Hummel, who was inspired by Kew Gardens in England for this unusual circular structure. The inner hall is topped with a dome and the interior is richly decorated in white on a blue background.

6. Scottish Games at Sychrov Castle

Would you like to experience the Scottish Games, which, along with tartan, kilts, Scottish bagpipes and whisky, are part of Scotland’s cultural heritage? You can do so right here, because one of the largest Scottish games in Europe has been held annually at Sychrov Castle since 2001. You can look forward to typical culture with Scottish bagpipes, drums and kilts, Scottish dances, unique sports disciplines and also Scottish delicacies such as Scotland’s national dish, haggis. This dish is made from lamb’s tongue, heart, suet and lungs, and tastes like something between our traditional pork brawn and black pudding.

7. English Bitter or Becherovka

The liqueur called English Bitter contains water from Karlovy Vary, alcohol, natural sugar and many types of herbs and spices from different parts of the world and the surrounding area. However, the old name is no longer used; this liqueur is now called Becherovka.

It was created by merchant Josef Vitus Becher (1769–1840), who produced alcohol in his shop U Tří skřivanů (At the Three Larks). The legendary recipe for this new liqueur was reportedly given to him by English physician Christian Frobrig before his departure in 1805. Josef Becher spent two years testing it and in May 1807 began selling the first bottles in his shop; he called them English Bitters and described them as stomach drops. It is natural that in a town where most visitors came with digestive problems, Becher’s liqueur became much more popular than boring herbal infusions or stomach diets.

More British traces and inspiration

The British theme continues here – here are a few articles and tips that develop the English and Scottish atmosphere in a Czech way.

Did you know that one of the English queens was of Czech origin? Her name was Anne of Luxembourg (1366–1394) and she was the daughter of the Czech king and Holy Roman Emperor Charles IV and his fourth wife, Elizabeth of Pomerania. At the age of fifteen, she married the English king Richard II. Their marriage lasted twelve years, and it is said that the Czech princess won over the island nation with her kindness to such an extent that she began to be called “Good Queen Anne”. When she died of the plague at the age of twenty-eight, Richard, in his grief, had Sheen Palace, where Anne died, demolished.

Romance like in Bridgerton

If you are enchanted by balls, aristocratic residences and grand romantic gestures similar to those we see in the Bridgerton series or in Jane Austen’s novels, you don’t have to settle for just popular British film and television stories. Many Czech castles offer romantic accommodation where you can feel like a guest on an estate for a few days – with a garden, candles, long dinners and mist floating over the lake. Just choose your own castle story.

Inspiration for relaxation

Different cultures have different terms for relaxation, but the principle is essentially the same. Danish hygge expresses the pleasure of cosiness, closeness and shared moments, Swedish lagom strives for balance, while Finnish sisu provides inner strength and resilience. Britain is not far behind: Welsh hwyl means deep joy and enjoyment of the present moment.

In the footsteps of Outlander: Scotland and Prague as film backdrops

The Outlander series has made Scotland one of the most sought-after destinations for lovers of historical romance and television drama. The rugged landscape of the Highlands, historic castles and mist-shrouded plains attract thousands of fans to the filming locations. But few people know that some scenes were also filmed in Prague. Explore the paths to popular films and series with Kudy z nudy – whether you head to Scottish castles or various corners of the Czech capital, which has become the backdrop for old Europe.

Wuthering Heights: Yorkshire as a film and literary legend

In 2026, the film Wuthering Heights will hit the big screen. Its true hero will be the dark moors of Yorkshire. This rugged landscape, which inspired Emily Brontë’s novel, known in our country as Wuthering Heights, will once again return to the forefront of travellers’ interests. In this film adaptation, you can journey into the world of literary classics, from Swaledale to Haworth, where the author spent most of her life.