British Royal Mistresses and a Pub

London’s sauciest stories hide in plain sight. This private walking tour links royal mistresses, old pubs, brothels, and Soho scandals in about two and a half hours. I like the unusual subject matter, and I like that the route moves beyond the standard London checklist. The stories focus on sex, love, power, and the people who used London as their playground.

I also like the compact route, which begins near the National Portrait Gallery and finishes back in Soho. My main caution is that the experience depends heavily on the guide’s storytelling. One published assessment found it dull, with too much emphasis on a sex-toy shop, so I would book this for the subject rather than expect a polished theatrical performance.

Key points before you book

• Royal scandal with a Soho setting: Follow stories connected with Edward VII, George IV, Nell Gwyn, Casanova, and London’s former pleasure districts.
• A private two-and-a-half-hour walk: Only your group participates, giving you a more personal experience than a large city tour.
• Seven stops around central London: The route runs from the National Portrait Gallery through Soho, the Strand, Chinatown, and back to Soho.
• A guide-led experience: The professional guide provides the value, since the tour is built around anecdotes and interpretation rather than major indoor attractions.
• Sixteen-plus age limit: The subject matter is adult and historical, so this is not a family sightseeing walk.
• $249.81 per person: The price is high for a walking tour, making group size and guide quality especially important.

Why this London walk is different

Most central London walks point you toward kings, churches, monuments, and famous writers. This one takes another road. It looks at the city through affairs, sexual customs, discreet meeting places, commercial vice, and the royal men and women who helped give London its scandalous reputation.

That makes the tour appealing if you have already seen Westminster and the Tower, or if you want a story-based activity with a sharper edge. You are not simply being shown buildings. You are being given a way to read familiar streets through the private lives once attached to them.

The route is also fairly concentrated. You begin at the National Portrait Gallery, then move through Soho and along the Strand before circling back through Chinatown and Soho. Since the activity lasts about 2 hours and 30 minutes, you should expect a steady walking pace with stops for explanation rather than long visits inside museums or historic houses.

The experience is private, which matters here. A sensitive subject can be handled with humor and context in a small group far more easily than in a crowded tour. You can also ask questions without feeling that you are holding up thirty other people.

Still, the tour is only as good as its guide. The advertised stops are mostly public streets and places linked to stories. If your guide tells those stories with energy, the route could feel like a lively social history lesson. If the presentation is flat, you may feel that you are simply walking between ordinary city blocks.

Starting beside the National Portrait Gallery

The meeting point is St. Martin’s Place, outside the National Portrait Gallery. Admission to the gallery is not part of the tour, and the first stop lasts only about five minutes. Think of this as a clear central meeting point rather than a gallery visit.

The location is practical for a central London day. You are close to Trafalgar Square, Leicester Square, Covent Garden, and several Underground connections. I would arrive a little early, since the National Portrait Gallery is a busy landmark and the exact meeting spot can be easy to miss in the flow of pedestrians.

Beginning beside portraits of famous British figures gives the tour a fitting start. The rest of the walk is interested in people who shaped public life from behind closed doors, or who became famous because their private lives refused to stay private.

The guide is listed simply as a professional guide, with no individual name provided. That means you cannot judge the style of a particular presenter in advance. If you need a highly scripted or performance-heavy tour, keep that uncertainty in mind.

Soho and the strange story of reusable condoms

The first substantial stop is Soho, with about 30 minutes devoted to the area’s sexual history. One topic is the surprising claim that nineteenth-century condoms could be reused. It is the sort of detail that gives the walk its tone: curious, frank, and a little shocking without needing to rely on modern sensationalism.

Soho is a natural setting for this subject. The tour uses the streets to discuss changing attitudes toward sex, commerce, privacy, and pleasure. You should expect stories tied to the area rather than a long indoor presentation.

This part may be the strongest section for anyone interested in social history. Royal scandals can feel distant, but questions about contraception and sexual behavior show how ordinary people dealt with private matters. The subject also lets you compare older customs with modern assumptions.

The drawback is that no admission ticket is included here. You are walking through the district, not entering a dedicated museum about sexual history. I would enjoy this stop most if the guide provides clear dates, names, and explanations instead of delivering a string of saucy anecdotes.

The Strand, Edward VII, and Casanova

The route then continues along the Strand for about 20 minutes. Here you reach what is described as London’s oldest restaurant, where Edward VII dined with his mistresses.

That detail gives the tour a useful link between royal behavior and public places. A restaurant is not merely a backdrop. It shows how a powerful man could maintain a social life that mixed food, status, discretion, and romantic affairs. The story also makes the royal past feel less formal and more human, although not necessarily more admirable.

The Strand is one of central London’s great connecting streets, and this section helps tie the Soho stories to the wider city. You are still close to major sights, but the focus shifts from the district’s general reputation to named figures and specific places.

The walk also points out where Casanova stayed during his visit to London and asks which mistress mattered most to him. That should appeal to anyone who enjoys European literary and social history. Casanova is often reduced to a nickname for a womanizer, but his travels and relationships offer a broader picture of eighteenth-century life.

Here again, the guide’s handling matters. The material has plenty of built-in drama, but you will want more than a list of conquests. Ask questions if the opportunity comes up. The value is in understanding why these people, places, and relationships mattered, not simply in counting affairs.

Soho Square and George IV’s darker side

The next stop returns to Soho Square for roughly 30 minutes. The guide introduces a place associated with George IV and the School of Sodom, where men were severely flogged.

This is a darker change of mood. The earlier stories involve royal lovers and private pleasure. This section points toward punishment, persecution, and the dangerous limits placed on sexual behavior. It offers a needed reminder that the past was not a carefree parade of mistresses and masquerades.

The subject can be valuable if it is presented with care. You are dealing with harsh treatment of men because of perceived or actual sexual conduct, and the story deserves more than a joke. A good guide should explain the setting and the attitudes behind the punishment without turning suffering into entertainment.

Admission is not included at this stop. The tour remains a walking experience, so you should not expect a formal visit to a preserved building or exhibition. The square itself is part of the route and the historical explanation is the main event.

This portion may not suit you if you want a lighthearted afternoon from beginning to end. The title promises royal mistresses and a pub, but the route also touches on coercion and public cruelty. I see that as a strength, provided the guide keeps the tone respectful.

Drury Lane and the story of Nell Gwyn

At the Theatre Royal Drury Lane, the tour spends about 20 minutes discussing Nell Gwyn. She is presented as one of the most influential royal mistresses, making this one of the central character studies of the walk.

Nell Gwyn is an especially useful figure for a tour like this because her story connects the theatre, the court, public fame, and royal intimacy. The location near Drury Lane helps place her within London’s entertainment world rather than treating her only as an attachment to a king.

You also hear about former eighteenth-century masquerades. These events bring another side of the period into view. Masquerades allowed people to mix in costume and offered a degree of anonymity, or at least the feeling of it. They fit the tour’s interest in secret identities, flirtation, status, and the blurred line between public respectability and private behavior.

The Theatre Royal itself is an important landmark, but the admission ticket is not included. The tour does not promise a performance or a backstage visit. You are there for the exterior setting and the guide’s account of what once happened in and around the area.

I would pay attention to how the guide treats Nell Gwyn. A good explanation should show why she was influential, not merely repeat that she was a mistress. Her place in London’s cultural and royal life is what makes the stop worth your time.

Chinatown, old brothels, and cocaine

The route then moves through Chinatown for about 30 minutes. This section looks at 1920s brothels and the places where Londoners obtained cocaine for private pleasure.

It is an intriguing shift from royal courts and eighteenth-century scandals to the city’s twentieth-century nightlife. The time period changes, but the main theme remains: people have long sought pleasure, escape, and secrecy in the heart of London.

The Chinatown stop may be one of the more surprising sections because it connects the area with subjects many people would not associate with its present identity. You get a reminder that city districts change, while stories attached to their streets can fade from public view.

The cocaine topic also needs careful handling. The point is not to celebrate drug use. Its value lies in showing how fashionable or forbidden substances could move through urban society, and how guilty pleasures were bought and consumed.

As with the other stops, no admission ticket is listed. This is a street-level history walk. You should be ready to listen while standing or walking, and you should wear comfortable shoes. The route is not described as difficult, but 2 hours and 30 minutes on London’s pavements still calls for sensible footwear.

Finishing in Soho with an included stop

The final portion returns to Soho and lasts about 10 minutes. It is described as an exploration of the area’s hidden secrets, with admission included.

One published account found this ending disappointing and characterized the walk as a dull experience with a stop at a sex-toy store. That is important to consider before paying the price. The shop may be intended as a modern counterpoint to the historical stories, but it will not appeal to everyone, and it should not replace strong interpretation along the route.

I would treat the final stop as a small add-on, not the reason to book. The real value lies in the earlier stories about royal figures, Casanova, changing sexual customs, punishment, theatres, brothels, and drugs.

The activity ends back at the original meeting point. That makes planning easier. You can leave your afternoon open for Covent Garden, the West End, Chinatown, or another central London sight without arranging transport from an unfamiliar neighborhood.

Is $249.81 per person fair?

At $249.81 per person, this is an expensive walking tour. The price needs to be judged against the fact that your group receives a private experience with a professional guide, rather than joining a large public walk.

For a small group that wants a tailored conversation about London’s sexual and royal past, the cost may be acceptable. Private guiding can make a real difference when the topic is unusual and questions are part of the fun.

For a solo visitor or couple, the price is harder to justify. Most stops are viewed from public streets, and several have no included admission. You are paying mainly for the guide’s time, research, route, and storytelling.

I would book only if this subject is a priority for you. If you are simply looking for an inexpensive way to see Soho, the price is too steep. If you love social history, royal gossip, literary figures, and the less respectable side of London, the private format may make the cost worthwhile.

Who should book this experience?

I can see this tour working best for adults who have already covered London’s main sights and want something more specialized. The minimum age is 16, and the material is clearly intended for a mature audience.

It may suit you if you enjoy:

• Royal scandals and the private lives of famous figures
• London’s changing attitudes toward sex and relationships
• Soho, the Strand, Drury Lane, and Chinatown
• Small-group or private guiding
• Historical stories connected to real streets and buildings

I would be cautious if you prefer major indoor attractions, formal museum interpretation, or a fast-moving sightseeing route. You will not receive a long gallery visit, a theatre performance, or a large number of included admissions.

The tour is also not ideal if you dislike sexual subjects, references to brothels, or stories involving punishment and drug use. The title may sound playful, but the content covers some grim material alongside the humor.

Practical advice for a smoother afternoon

Wear comfortable shoes and allow the full 2 hours and 30 minutes. The route covers several central districts, and you will get more from it if you are ready to walk, pause, and listen rather than rush from one photo stop to the next.

Arrive at the National Portrait Gallery meeting point with a little time to spare. St. Martin’s Place is central but busy, and a calm start is useful when the tour relies on finding the guide promptly.

The experience is offered in English and uses a mobile ticket. Service animals are allowed, and the route is near public transportation. Most people can participate, but the provided information does not promise a fully step-free route, so ask the operator if you have specific mobility needs.

You can cancel for a full refund if you do so at least 24 hours before the start time. Changes or cancellations made inside that period are not accepted for a refund, with cut-off times based on London’s local time.

My final call

I would book British Royal Mistresses and a Pub only when its subject matter matches your interests closely. The route offers an unusual look at London through Edward VII, George IV, Nell Gwyn, Casanova, old sexual customs, former brothels, and Soho’s less polished past.

The private format is a real advantage, but the high price puts pressure on the guide to deliver lively, thoughtful storytelling. Since one account found the walk boring and felt the sex-toy-shop stop was too prominent, I would not choose it as a general introduction to London.

Choose it for the stories, not the admissions or the final shop. If you want a frank, adult history walk and are willing to pay for a private guide, it could add a memorable odd corner to your London visit. If value, major sights, or guaranteed entertainment matter most, spend your money elsewhere.

FAQ

How long does the tour last?

The tour lasts approximately 2 hours and 30 minutes.

Where does the tour start?

It starts at the National Portrait Gallery, St. Martin’s Place, London WC2H 0HE, United Kingdom.

Where does the tour end?

The tour ends back at the original meeting point.

How much does the tour cost?

The listed price is $249.81 per person.

What language is the tour offered in?

The tour is offered in English.

What is the minimum age?

The minimum age is 16.

Is this a private tour?

Yes. Only your group participates in the activity.

Are admission tickets included?

The professional guide is included. Several stops have no admission charge, while admission is not included at Soho Square and Theatre Royal Drury Lane. The final Soho stop includes admission.

Can I cancel for a refund?

Yes. You can cancel at least 24 hours before the start time for a full refund. Cancellations or changes made less than 24 hours before the start time are not accepted for a refund.