Minette Butler
Position: Assistant Curator of Public History
About
Minette conducts historical research and collaborates in the production of content for digital outputs. This includes web pages, blog posts, podcasts, and social media. Her research background includes the histories of death, mourning and funeral practices as curator of the National Funeral Museum. This covered a wide range of British royal, social, and scientific history between 1603 to the present day.
Her personal research interests include the histories of exploration, particularly into Arctic and Antarctic polar regions. At Historic Royal Palaces, this includes exploring the presence of polar explorers, their families and the broader naval community at Hampton Court Palace during the Grace and Favour period. Her research also explores the presence and experience of Indigenous Peoples across Historic Royal Palaces’ six sites from the late 16th to 19th centuries.
Select publications
Butler, M., ‘The King’s Favourite: George Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckingham’, HRP Blog, February 2024.
‘Butler, M., ‘Hampton Court and the Unknown Warrior’, HRP Blog, 2024.
Butler, M., ‘The Explorer and the Artist: The Wedding of Captain Scott and Kathleen Bruce at Hampton Court’, HRP Blog, January 2024.
All articles by Minette Butler (4)
'Buried Among Kings': Hampton Court and the Coffin of the Unknown Warrior
11 November 2024
On 11 November 1920 the Unknown Warrior was laid to rest in Westminster Abbey, in a coffin said to have been made of Hampton Court oak. Here, Assistant Curator Minette Butler investigates this curious palace story, including an unexpected link to the Tower of London.
'Washing the Lions': A Famous April Fools Hoax at the Tower of London
01 April 2024
The Tower of London is home to Britain’s earliest recorded April Fool’s prank – the so-called 'Annual Ceremony of Washing the Lions'.
The King’s Favourite: George Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckingham
01 February 2024
In the ruthless world of the Stuart court, royal favour was everything. No one knew this better than George Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckingham, whose rise to power was built on the love and patronage of James I.
The Wedding of Captain Scott and Kathleen Bruce at Hampton Court Palace
04 January 2024
Assistant Curator Minette Butler explores how Captain Scott's wedding to his beloved wife Kathleen Bruce at Hampton Court Palace intertwines with the aftermath of his ill-fated expedition to reach the South Pole.