One of the more famous and lovliest castles in the world, the Leeds Castle stands on two islands on a lake. Originally built in 857 AD as a Saxon manor, it was transformed into a Royal Palace in 1278 by King Edward I. It has been home to six Medieval English Queens as well as Henry VIII. Its original structure has been expanded throughout their reigns. The castle also came under the ownership of several influential families, the last of which was Lady Baillie, an American heiress who rescued its former owners from bankruptcy by buying the castle and restoring its interiors to reflect its illustruous past. Lady Baillie died in 1975 and the castle was passed on to the Leeds Castle Foundation, which preserves and promotes the castle until today. The Leeds Castle is open not just to tourists but for various corporate and private events.