Madame Tussauds. Where in the world can you bump into Princess Diana or meet David and Victoria Beckham? Only at Madame Tussauds, the London landmark that’s been pulling in the crowds since 1835. Getting up close and personal with life-sized wax models of the famous is a feature of many family holidays to the capital. The story began in 1777 when Madame Tussaud learned the art of wax modelling from Dr Philippe Curtius while working as his housekeeper. Living in Paris, Tussaud's early models, which included Voltaire and Benjamin Franklin, were a great success, but when her exhibition moved to England in 1802 she was unable to return because of the Franco-English war. The exhibition settled in London and it's been a major tourist attraction ever since. Today Madame Tussauds offers a state-of-the-art experience with exhibitions designed to give visitors the feeling that they can be anything from rock stars to world-famous footballers.
