Views from the Cavendish London’s Royal Suite are gloriously regal. Taking breakfast on the terrace of this 15th-floor penthouse, you look out on a dramatic skyline that many regard as the capital of the world. A vista that sweeps across miles and centuries: the dome of Sir Christopher Wren’s St Paul’s Cathedral, the London Eye, the 95 storey Shard and the occasional leafy square.
London power dresses with jagged clusters of skyscrapers. Cranes swirl and swivel as they build the next generation of aspirational towers. As suns rise and set you can watch a city constantly and controversially evolving. Early morning mists hug skyscrapers. Well-heeled revellers arrive and depart from Tramp, the most exclusive of nightclubs. 
This is a gold-splashed suite, with a large bedroom and separate living space, that is regal for so many reasons. At 55 square metres it is majestically spacious and a mere stroll from Buckingham Palace. In 1664, Charles ll, he of the flowing locks and Restoration arts, instructed Henry Jermyn, Earl of St Albans, to develop the area close to St James’ Palace. 

If Charles ll returned to Jermyn Street today, he would undoubtedly approve of a street that had become a byword for high-quality artistry and craftsmanship. Although primarily renowned for shirt-makers and tailors, there are purveyors of bow ties, cheeses, cigars, bold boating jackets and bespoke shoes. La Martina provides everything polo, the sport of kings, while Juan Credidio’s limited edition Panamanian shirts cater for the man who seeks colourfully extravagant individuality. 

It was such a striking ascent that in the 1970s the BBC’s drama series, The Duchess of Duke Street was based on Rosa’s exceptional story. At the Petrichor Bar, named after a pleasant smell that often accompanies the first rain after a long period of warm, dry weather, you can toast Rosa’s legacy with a Duchess: a rich cocktail of Galliano, Cointreau, orange juice ad double cream.

Although Rosa favoured a light version of fashionable French cuisine, at the AA two rosette Petrichor Restaurant, chef Glen Padiyar blends classic British dishes with European influences. Initially, a smoked salmon starter seems quintessentially British with its quail’s egg until you discover piquant capers. When caramelised shallots and a red wine jus accompany a traditional sirloin steak, there is a French influence bringing contrasting tastes and textures to the steak. 
Service at the Cavendish London is regal too. Richard Jenkins, at the Cavendish London for almost two decades, leads a team of concierges who are London experts. Even when tickets are seemingly sold out for an exhibition at a gallery or museum, they are often able to procure some. Golf is another speciality, arranging tee-off times at the South of England’s most prestigious courses. 
At the very centre of London, The Cavendish London, nostalgically evokes the easy days of Edwardian England with its art but also gives a nod to Art Deco style with its smooth burnished surfaces. Presiding at the highest point on Jermyn Street, the Royal Suite puts guests in pole-position to dip in and out of London’s charms as they choose.