The castle was first constructed in the 12th century by a Norman marcher lord, and was held by the de Lacy and Mortimer families before passing into the hands of the crown with the accession of King Edward IV of England. It underwent substantial rebuilding in the Tudor period, and remained a royal possession until 1811. It now belongs to the Earl of Powis.
The castle was the home of the Council of Wales and the Marches for about a hundred years, and was home to three royal children - Prince Edward, son of Edward IV, before his accession as Edward V of England; Arthur Tudor, son of King Henry VII, who brought his bride, Catherine of Aragon, to live there a few months before he died; and Mary Tudor, King Henry VIII's daughter by Catherine.