You could live like royalty in a 900-year-old castle, but it will cost you about $12 million. Take a look inside.

Appleby Castle in Cumbria is a motte-and-bailey castle, meaning it has a keep — a fortified tower — situated on a raised area of ground called a motte.

The term is of Norman-French origin, as is the castle itself.

Ranulf le Meschin, a Norman magnate who served King Henry I, is believed to have laid the castle's earliest foundations at the beginning of the 12th century.

However, excavations suggest there may have been a fort on the site going as far back as Roman times.

The castle has been held by monarchs of both Scotland and England.

When le Meschin became Earl of Chester, the castle came under the control of the English Crown.

Subsequently, it was taken by the Scots, with the lordship bestowed upon Hugh de Morville — whose son was one of the assassins of Thomas Becket in 1170.

The ensuing years saw the castle change hands multiple times.

"Ceded to the Scots, recaptured by the English, and embroiled in the Wars of the Roses, the castle saw its fair share of turmoil," UK Sotheby's International Realty said in a press release provided to BI.

The castle's original wooden keep was replaced with a stone keep called Caesar's Tower in about 1170, according to Historic UK.

The walls of the three-story stone keep are 1.8 meters thick, per Sotheby's.

It's the oldest surviving building of the castle and is Grade I listed, along with the castle's main building. This means the buildings are sites of exceptional national, architectural, or historical importance.

The castle is situated along the River Eden and comes with fishing rights.

It is set among 25 acres of picturesque parkland, which the castle's website describes as a setting that would "lend itself to a period drama."

According to Visit Cumbria, the local tourism board, rare breeds of sheep, goats, pheasants, hens, doves, ducks, geese, and teals roam the grounds.

There are several outbuildings, including three cottages being used as vacation rentals.

There's even a walled garden and tennis court.

The castle is near Appleby-in-Westmorland, a market town with shops, restaurants, and popular walking trails.

Appleby Castle has 22 bedrooms and 19 bathrooms, offering ample space for hosting parties or generating income via listing it as luxury accommodation.

The State Bedroom, pictured, features a headboard dated to 1590 that was believed to have belonged to Lady Anne Clifford, a wealthy dowager responsible for restoring the castle in the 1600s.

Its purpose was to host visiting dignitaries.

Near the State Bedroom, the "Evidence" Room features a 17th-century four-poster oak bed, along with an antique wardrobe and furnishings.

Many of the other bedrooms also have authentic furniture, most of which the future owner will be able to keep.

Sally Nightingale, who now owns the houses, told Bloomberg that she'll keep "one or two pieces" but the rest will be included in the sale.

According to Bloomberg, much of the paneling and interior decoration is around 400 years old.

When the current owner moved into the property in 1997, she told Bloomberg that many of the decorations were well-preserved.

However, some of the furnishings, including from the Victorian era, were not "the right period," Nightingale said.

She said she replaced these pieces with more historically accurate furnishings.

Despite the abundance of period features, the property also comes with modern amenities like WiFi, a gym, a hot tub, a sauna, and a games room.

There are several places to enjoy a regal meal, including a 15th-century dining hall.

The hall, which can seat around 20 people for a banquet, dates back to around 1454.

The current owner told Bloomberg that she will, on occasion, shut down the hotel and "sit in the dining room, which is obviously like Downton Abbey."

The Great Hall underwent a remodel with oak paneling in about 1686, according to Celtic Castle.

It's currently being used as a restaurant and can seat around 100 guests.

It's a popular spot for weddings and banquets.

A rare replica of the Clifford Armour, worn by George Clifford, a favorite of Queen Elizabeth I and a champion jouster, is on display in the Great Hall.

Clifford was the father of Lady Anne Clifford, the dowager responsible for many of the property's renovations.

The real armor is now on display at New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Nightingale transformed part of the castle's keep into a museum called the Norman Centre.

It has four floors and displays items that tell the history of the country's Norman occupation and how that intertwines with Appleby Castle's own past.

Appleby Castle boasts a rich history, having welcomed royals, including King Edward I and King James I.

But it was also home to less illustrious characters when it was used as the county jail of Westmorland, according to the Cumberland & Westmorland Herald.

Its most recent reincarnation occurred in 2013 when the current owner transformed it into a hotel.

According to Bloomberg, she left a 7,750-square-foot wing for her own private use.

Due to the fact that Appleby Castle is Grade I listed, minimal changes were allowed when it was transformed into a hotel a decade ago.

Nightingale told Bloomberg that this means it would be relatively straightforward to revert the property back into a private home.

The castle attracts a significant number of visitors from the United States, potentially making it an enticing prospect for affluent American investors.

In addition to the castle's historical allure, Americans love that George Washington's father and uncles went to school in Appleby, Nightingale told Bloomberg.

"The Americans love it," she told the news outlet.

The property is a remarkable piece of history, according to Sotheby's International Realty.

"The mansion, featuring a Great Hall, staircase, dining room, state bedroom, and other elegant rooms, remains remarkably preserved and is an unparalleled time capsule tucked in some of Britain's most beautiful countryside," it said.