Camelot is the name of the stronghold of the legendary King Arthur, from which he fought many of the battles that made up his life. Its specific location is currently unknown and may be a fictionalized Romano-British province of post-Roman Britain. It is described as many days' journey from Avalon. Various stories present Camelot's court in varying ways, anything from welcoming followers of both the Celtic and the Christian gods, to exclusively one or the other. Since the location of Camelot is still a mystery, the truth about it—if there is one—is still unknown.

Possible Locations of Camelot:

The name Camelot may be derived from Camulodunum (modern Colchester), the stronghold of the Catuvellauni kings, and later the provincial capital of Roman Britannia. The city was sacked by the Iceni in AD61.

The 1960 musical, Camelot, was written by Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe and is loosely based on the Arthur legend as adapted from the T.H. White novel The Once and Future King. The main thrust of the novel and the play is the illicit romance between Arthur's wife, Guinevere, and his great friend, Sir Lancelot. Notable songs include:

  • "If Ever I Would Leave You"
  • "The Lusty Month of May"
  • "How to Handle a Woman"

In the stage version, Arthur was played by, among others, Richard Burton, and Guinevere by Julie Andrews. In the 1967 film version, Richard Harris played Arthur, Vanessa Redgrave was Guinevere and Franco Nero was Lancelot. The film was directed by Joshua Logan.

The movie adaptation won three Academy Awards for Best Art Direction-Set Decoration, Best Costume Design and Best Music, Scoring of Music, Adaptation or Treatment. It was also nominated for the awards for Best Cinematography and Best Sound. It also won three Golden Globe Awards and was nominated for an additional three.

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"Camelot" is a term used to describe the administration of United States President John F. Kennedy. The Burton/Andrews production of the musical opened December 1960,a few weeks after Kennedy's election, and was a favorite of both the President and his wife Jackie. Jackie gave an interview to Life magazine shortly after the President's death in which she used some favorite lines from the musical, and that theme was often repeated in the press.

Camelot is the name the operator of the UK National Lottery.

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