圣十字架宫11

Scotland had always been rather a scruffy little kingdom.

English people, when they came to the courts of Scotland,

were always amazed at the familiarity with which Scots addressed their king.

I mean, they'd walk up to the king and say,"Hey,Jimmy.",and strike up a conversation with him.

Mary Queen of Scots,however,had been in France,which had the most magnificent monarchy in Europe,

so part of her strategy was to make the courts at Holyrood more splendid.

Life at Holyroodhouse was by no means all work and no play.

Mary relished nothing more than a day out hunting in the palace grounds.

There wasn't always a plentiful supply of prey here at Holyrood Park,

but that was no bar to Mary,who loved the thrill of the chase as much as her Scottish subjects.

And so roebuck and stout would be herded up from other estates,

carried here in a litter and then released so that she could hunt them.

And then when that wasn't enough,

wild boar were brought over from France and then Mary could hunt them here at her leisure.