What would you ask a queen from the 1200s?
At Leeds Castle, visitors are getting the chance to find out.
A new exhibition at the historic castle features an interactive A.I. avatar of Eleanor of Castile, the influential medieval queen and wife of Edward I of England. Instead of simply reading about her life, visitors can now ask questions and hear responses from a digital recreation designed to simulate how Eleanor might have spoken about her experiences.
The project is part of an exhibition titled “Pilgrimage of Love: Eleanor of Castile,” which explores the queen’s life, her political influence, and her legacy in England.
The A.I. experience, called “An Audience with a Queen,” appears at the end of the exhibition and invites visitors to interact directly with the digital figure. The avatar can respond to questions and is programmed to recognize when people approach the display.
The technology was developed in partnership with SKC Studios, which helped create the digital version of Eleanor.
“This new avatar gives visitors a unique chance to meet Eleanor of Castile as a person with depth and personality,” said Dominique Bouchard, engagement director at Leeds Castle. “It brings people into a more human relationship with the past.”
The exhibit also explores the real history behind the queen.
Eleanor married Edward in 1253 in a political alliance meant to settle disputes over Gascony. Over their three-decade marriage, the pair became known for their close relationship. Eleanor gave birth to 16 children, though only six survived into adulthood.
She also traveled with Edward during his crusade to the Middle East in the early 1270s, a journey that later inspired legends about her devotion to him.
Back in England, Eleanor gained a reputation as a shrewd businesswoman who acquired estates and land across the country. One of her most notable projects was the transformation of Leeds Castle itself.
After acquiring the property in 1278, Eleanor oversaw renovations that turned what had been a Norman stronghold into a royal residence. The castle’s Gloriette complex, which includes a multi-level keep and gardens influenced by Spanish design, dates to that period.
The new A.I. display visually references Eleanor’s famous bronze effigy at Westminster Abbey, considered one of the finest works of medieval English sculpture. The digital queen appears wearing an apple-green cloak and is framed within a screen designed to resemble a Gothic lancet window.
Museums around the world have been experimenting with similar technology in recent years, allowing visitors to interact with digital versions of historical figures.
SKC Studios has previously created an A.I. version of Alan Turing for Bletchley Park and is developing another featuring William Gladstone for the Museum of the Prime Minister.
Other institutions have experimented with similar approaches, including interactive displays at the Palace of Versailles and the Salvador Dalí Museum.
At Leeds Castle, the difference is that the digital Eleanor can recognize when visitors approach and respond as if she were aware of the space around her.
For museum staff, the goal is to make history feel less distant.
The exhibition “Pilgrimage of Love: Eleanor of Castile” opened March 9 and runs through November 1 at Leeds Castle.
