Publicity bonus for castle that exceeded every Flight of fancy

On every channel, it seemed, there were views of the massive curtain walls, shots of the turrets and sweeping panoramas with the castle in the centre foreground.

Press photographers, too, wasted no time in bringing the stone battlements into focus, and framing the historic gateways leading into the ancient seat of the Dukes of Norfolk.

Had this year's promotional campaign for the castle's new season been so spectacularly successful in its own right, it would surely have walked away with the marketing industry's equivalent of an Oscar.

In fact, the media frenzy was whipped up by the resignation of the town's MP, Howard Flight, as deputy chairman of the Conservative party, and his subsequent sacking by party leader Michael Howard.

Fascinating though the stories were of the "Rotten Duke" and the "Drunken Duke", told by the guide taking journalists on the castle tour, they could not match the impact of huge interest unleashed the following day by the downfall of the "Gaffe MP", as one newspaper labelled Mr Flight.

Looking back, it's hard to believe the Easter weekend whirlwind which hit Arundel.

On Thursday, the grounds looked immaculate, with golden daffodils standing out against the green lawns.

The sky was blue, the sun beamed down and all was tranquil, with no hint of the storm about to break.

Inside the castle, the Duke and Duchess mixed easily with the press party over coffee and, looking forward to a good season ahead, the Duke commented: "We want to share Arundel and all it has to offer with more people."

For all the hoo-hah surrounding Mr Flight, the castle can lay claim to infinitely more historical events of lasting significance, in more than 10 centuries of existence.

As the Duke pointed out, Arundel's castle was built in 1067, making it two years older than Windsor's pile. Various branches of his family have lived there since 1138, an example of continuous occupation no other British family or castle can boast.

However steeped in the past the walls may be, Arundel's interior also displays a wealth of superb European furniture and art, including paintings by Gainsborough, Van Dyck and Canaletto.

The armoury houses a remarkable collection of swords, shields, bayonets, guns and suits of armour, while the library, with its vaulted roof, contains a nationally important collection of books.

A new exhibition this year shows off some of the Dukes of Norfolk's archives for the first time. In this, the 200th anniversary year of the Battle of Trafalgar, there is a special focus on the Norfolk family's connections with the sea.

The 15th Duke's grandfather, Lord Lyons, was an Admiral and Commander of the Mediterranean fleet during the Crimean War.

His godfather, Rear-Admiral Sir Richard Bickerton, was one of Nelson's officers at Trafalgar, and among the documents on view is an order signed by Nelson, from the Victory, dated May 5, 1805, instructing Sir Richard to take command of the British fleet in the Mediterranean, while Nelson sailed in pursuit of the French fleet in the Atlantic '“ the first move towards Trafalgar.

Elsewhere, there have been other improvements around the castle during the closed season, with various rooms redecorated and refurbished in time for Thursday's opening.

The gardens, too, have been further developed under the guidance of the Duchess, and head gardener Gerry Kelsey.

Friday morning tours of the gardens will be a regular feature, and other castle events during the year will include historical re-enactments, jousting, falconry and mediaeval music, classic car rallies and historical storytelling.

The castle is open Sunday to Fridays (closed Saturdays, except bank holiday weekends). For more information telephone 01903 882173 or see the website, www.arundelcastle.org