The Royal Palace of Falkland was the country residence of the Stuart kings and queens when they hunted deer and wild boar in the Fife forest. Mary, Queen of Scots spent some of the happiest days of her tragic life ’playing the country girl in the woods and parks’. James IV and James V, replacing the earlier castle, built the Palace between 1501 and 1541. Traces of the palace buildings dating from the 12th century, can still be seen in the grounds.