Of all London’s grand dame hotels that have welcomed Queen Elizabeth II, it is The Goring that will be feeling her loss most acutely
The forcible ejection of a track-suited interloper while Queen Elizabeth was hosting a staff Christmas lunch at The Goring (December 6, 2016) was a mere warm up act for the sight that greeted onlookers later on, when the managing director of the hotel escorted Her Majesty down its marble front steps and waved her off in her Bentley.
David Morgan-Hewitt, as much of an institution as the hotel itself, became, thanks to his beautifully tailored suit, trademark blue gingham shirt and evident flamboyance, front page news – even stealing the limelight from his illustrious guest, who, dressed in pretty pink, looked tiny beside him. Those who know The Goring well will not be surprised by either the arresting individuality of its managing director nor its choice by the late Queen as a venue for entertaining. Indeed, eccentricity and humour mixed with Britishness, tradition and a love of the monarchy are the most distinct characteristics of this splendid hotel.
Awarded a Royal Warrant for hospitality services in 2013, the only hotel to be so honoured, The Goring is just paces from Buckingham Palace and has been a firm Royal favourite since it opened its doors in 1910. The coronations of George VI and of our Queen saw the hotel filled with royalty from all over the world. The former Queen Mother also much enjoyed Eggs Drumkilbo – a lobster and egg-based dish that remains one of the most popular dishes in The Dining Room.
To celebrate the hotel’s 100th anniversary, a new Royal Suite was commissioned, stretching the length of the top floor of the hotel. French windows open on to a private balcony overlooking The Goring Gardens, and the bedrooms are furnished with fine antiques and four posters. It has a grand piano, while concealed throughout is a unique collection of royal artefacts. In the shower of the master bedroom is a life-size portrait of Queen Victoria, protected by glass.
The Royal Suite was completed just in time for the wedding of Kate Middleton and Prince William. Three days before the event in April 2011, the Middleton family installed themselves before Kate departed for Westminster Abbey. Since then she has returned to officially reopen the hotel after it was closed for a month following a top-to-toe refurbishment, the first time it had ever shut since it was opened by current owner Jeremy Goring’s great-grandfather, Otto.
There are many other royal associations in the hotel, not least the addition of a team of red-liveried footmen. “Everyone has butlers,” said David Morgan-Hewitt, “but people with real style have footmen”. And style is what David Morgan-Hewitt, as well as his boss, owner Jeremy Goring, bring to London’s most characterful address: style and a very British sense of fun.
Those twin characteristics of style and fun were again in evidence earlier this year, with the hotel’s Jubilee Celebrations. This sequence of celebrations included a glorious Jubilee Afternoon Tea, specially designed Fizz and Coronation Cup cocktails and historic Coronation-inspired dishes on the menu in the Linley-designed dining room, not forgetting the presence of Teddy the Shetland pony who took up residence in The Goring’s lovely garden.
Together, David Morgan-Hewitt and Jeremy Goring make a great double act, whether it’s bursting into song at any opportunity (David, who has a fine voice and was a choral scholar) or creating a beach complete with sand and sailing boats in the garden or a bar inspired by the Cresta Run on the balcony (Jeremy, who loves watersports and skiing).
Where else but this hotel will the owner inform you in The Goring Trumpeter, the in-house magazine, that ‘the managing director and I jumped in the Bentley and went fishing for elvers…’? Or does Noel Coward sing Mad Dogs and Englishmen while you wait to be connected? Where else are there almost life-size sheep in the bedrooms? No one quite knows why.
Queen Elizabeth was well known for her own sense of humour and she evidently detected it at her favourite hotel. She may also have enjoyed the supreme comfort of The Goring, for comfort has always been at its heart. “I’d much prefer to stay at The Goring; I don’t have a bathroom to myself at Buckingham Palace” sighed the Crown Prince of Norway in 1937.
Not a problem for Her Majesty, but she was still drawn to the hotel and to the charming, professional, very British and slightly eccentric characters who own and run it and who held her in the highest esteem.
“Thank you, Your Majesty”, David Morgan-Hewitt has written since the Queen’s death was announced last Thursday “our hearts are broken”.
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