History Gets a High-Tech Makeover at Leeds Castle

Meeting a queen is rare. Meeting one who died seven centuries ago should be impossible. But at Leeds Castle in Kent, England, visitors can now hold conversations with an AI-powered avatar of Eleanor of Castile, the medieval monarch who once made the castle her royal home.

An Audience With Eleanor is the finale in a new exhibition, Pilgrimage of Love: Eleanor of Castile, which runs through Nov. 1. This interactive installation shines new light on the 13th-century Queen of England and the first female owner of Leeds Castle.

The project is a significant step for a heritage sector that has traditionally approached emerging technologies with caution. The team behind the experience emphasizes that the AI avatar complements—rather than replaces—conventional historical interpretation.

“We are taking people from passive listening to active participation,” says Kelly Boosey, head of business development for the United Kingdom and Europe at SKC Studios, whose conversational AI platform, named 1956 Individuals, supports the exhibit.   

Recreating a historical figure requires balancing innovation with historical authenticity. The team members made a series of considered choices. They had to understand the risks and ensure that the avatar’s responses were appropriate and rooted in historical accuracy.

Visitors begin their journey into Eleanor’s life in a meticulously researched exhibition. The life-size AI avatar is in the castle’s chapel, creating a distinct space for people to engage with Eleanor after exploring her story.

Remarkably, the team's starting point was never about how to use AI. It focused on creating an experience that deepened visitors’ understanding of Eleanor and her place in history. “Eleanor’s story needed to be brought back to life. The challenge was how to humanize someone who died more than 700 years ago,” explains Dr. Dominique Bouchard, who served on the project team while working as heritage and engagement director at Leeds Castle. The team concentrated on what the character should know, feel, and remember.

“Museums are risk-averse and trusted institutions,” Dr. Bouchard continues.

Inviting visitors to speak to an AI avatar raised several questions for the team. What if she says the wrong thing? What if her voice doesn’t sound right? Should the AI avatar use only approved content, or should it roam free on the internet?

Rather than confining its AI version of Eleanor to “a walled garden of content,” Leeds Castle allows broader, unscripted conversations while carefully designing the experience. “Value the expertise your visitor brings with them—they know what interests them and why. The power of a conversational AI like the Eleanor of Castile avatar is that we’ve given it the capability to answer any question it is asked,” says Dr. Bouchard.

The queen discusses wide-ranging subjects while sidestepping difficult topics with phrases such as, “My attention is better spent on my time than on the controversies of yours.”

The AI avatar is aware of her surroundings, recognizing that she is inside Leeds Castle and knowing when visitors approach her. She is multilingual and speaks with queenly authority. “She’s very impatient—some would say rude,” Dr. Bouchard says.

The system detects whether visitors are adults or children through camera recognition. The exhibit does not store any visual or auditory information, but it saves conversation transcripts.

“Quality and ethics go hand in hand with this technology. False authority is the biggest ethical risk. Even when evidence is thin, an AI can seem confident, especially if it is dressed in the form of an historical figure, so we kept strong scholarship at the core of the experience and informed visitors about its potential and limits,” says Dr. Bouchard. “She knows she’s an AI. We are not trying to fool anyone and pretend something is real when it’s not. This is a game, not a history teacher.”

One of the project’s key takeaways, according to Dr. Bouchard, is that “you can never test too much.” Five months of testing, including two months on-site, ensured a seamless and intuitive experience for staff and guests.

“Overwhelmingly, our visitors loved the experience. Having a truly conversational AI that answered any question in real time was exciting, and the unique personality and incredibly detailed artist-created avatar meant the experience felt both familiar and human,” Dr. Bouchard concludes. 

leeds-castle.com