Queen Mother's castle apartment opened to public

Walmer Castle in Deal was built on the orders of Henry VIII and was historically home to the Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports

A private apartment previously used by Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother has opened to the public for the first time.

The Lord Warden's apartment at Walmer Castle in Deal, Kent, became the official residence of the Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports in the 18th Century.

The Queen Mother held the position between 1978 and 2002.

English Heritage said visitors will now be able to tour the sitting, dining and master bedroom of the apartment, which were previously "locked away behind a secret door".

English Heritage described the castle apartment as a "favourite seaside retreat" of Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother

The charity described the apartment as a "favourite seaside retreat" of the Queen Mother during her tenure as Lord Warden.

The Lord Warden position was created to enable royal control of the historic Cinque Ports of the South East coast, which were crucial to England's naval defences.

Kathryn Bedford, curator at Walmer Castle, said: "This is a rare opportunity for a ‘behind the scenes’ glimpse into the never-before-seen private apartment at Walmer Castle.

She added that visitors would likely be "surprised by the simplicity" of how Lord Warden's lived in the castle.

Curator at Walmer Castle Kathryn Bedford said visitors would be "surprised at the simplicity" of how royals and aristocracy lived at the castle

Previous Lord Wardens included Sir Winston Churchill and the Duke of Wellington but the Queen Mother was the only woman to hold the office, as well as the longest serving.

Today, the member towns which make up the Confederation of the Cinque Ports include Deal, Dover, Faversham, Hythe, Lydd, Margate. New Romney, Ramsgate, Sandwich, and Tenterden in Kent as well as Hastings, Rye and Winchelsea in East Sussex.