KAMPALA

THROUGHOUT their four-day stay in Uganda last week, Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh kept a hectic schedule of appearances.

From the historic speech in Parliament, to several banquets and visits to charities, the pair had little to themselves.
But what little time they had alone was spent here, in Room 602 of the Kampala Serena Hotel.

Suite renamed
This room, which used to be called the Presidential Suite but was renamed the Royal Suite, was the royal couple's home during their stay in Kampala for the just ended Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting.
On average, staff say, the suite is booked at a going rate of $2,500 a night (Shs4 million).

Getting off at the elevator on the sixth floor, the royals walked towards their suite which has a massive wooden carved door at the end of the hall. Beyond that door is a foyer and four more doors, each leading to a different part of the suite.

THE STUDY: The Queen could have used it to revise her speeches.

On the left is the large door leading to the living area. Inside, the large room is divided between a seating area with three plush chairs and two couches with an oversized coffee table that was piled high with orchids because they are among the Queen's favourite flowers.  A desk sits in the corner. 

Dining room
On the other side of the room is a large dining room table, where the Queen ate meals using linen and china dishes.
Off the dining room is a fully-stocked kitchen, with two fridges, coffee and espresso machines and a host of other gadgets. This space was not needed much during the Queen's stay, as she had to attend so many mealtime functions.

The bedroom
Back out to the main foyer, another door leads to the bedroom. The Queen and Duke slept in a king-size bed piled high with six pillows. On either side of the bed sits carved wooden dance shields used by the Zinza people of western Tanzania. The shields and artwork in the room fit in with the hotel's overall theme of lost African art.
A flat-screen plasma TV gave the royal couple access to satellite TV programmes.

A dressing table sits beside the doorway leading to the walk-in closet and massive bathroom. The dressing room table had to be moved across the room to the window because the Queen likes to have sunlight as she gets ready in the morning, according to the hotel staff.

Food and service
Aside from moving the table, staff say they had very little to do in preparing the suite for the Royal couple. About a dozen staff from Buckingham Palace came to the hotel for a week in August to test the hotel's food and service and inspect the facilities.

Smaller groups came back twice more before arriving again a few days ahead of the Queen's arrival, according to hotel staff.
They also had no specific menu requests. The hotel's own staff served her and cooked for her from the hotel's menu.

The royal entourage (which numbered 48 in total) included one staffer who would work with the hotel staff to ensure they knew what the Queen needed and when it was to be delivered.

Serena Hotel Guest Service Manager Rosejoy Ntoruru displays glasses in the kitchen. Photos by Stephen Wandera

Before leaving the hotel, the Queen had each of the hotel's staff who had served her come to her room, so she could thank them. She also thanked the two chefs as she was leaving the hotel. Corporate guests can be even more demanding than the guests we had last week, said Ms Joyce Wangui, a manager at the hotel.

Fruity breakfast
Staff arranged for a fruit basket to be in the room for the Queen and Duke's arrival. The basket had grapes, small sweet bananas, red and green apples, a pineapple and a few plums and passion fruits.

The couple enjoyed the fruits at breakfast, Ms Wangui said. Off the bedroom is a large bathroom with a shower, bathtub and glass-enclosed toilet area, along with two sinks.

The area also has a large walk-in closet. A balcony off the bedroom overlooks the newly built Imperial Royale Hotel. The balcony has blinds that can be pulled down.

The blinds can be used in case the guests want privacy, Wangui said. The blinds likely got heavy use, given that the balcony overlooks the hotel  where hundreds of journalists worked during the Commonwealth meetings.