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Historic Royal Palaces blog

Insights and behind the scenes from our palaces

The truth behind Elizabeth I and the 'Bisley Boy' myth

12 January 2026

Tracy Borman explores the real story behind the infamous ‘Bisley Boy’ myth – one of the more outlandish theories about Elizabeth I. 

Christmas in the Tudor royal court

22 December 2025

Tracy Borman heads back to the courts of Henry VIII and Elizabeth I for a Christmas like no other.

Famous ghost stories of the Tower of London

24 November 2025

Take a walk through the Tower of London’s shadowy corridors, to uncover the chilling tales of its most famous ghosts and paranormal activity.

Princess Mary, Henry VIII and Tudor history's greatest battle of wills

22 August 2025

Chief Historian Tracy Borman explores the dramatic battle of wills between Mary and her tyrannical father.

Life, death and worship in the Tower of London, Part I

21 July 2025

Curator of Historic Buildings Alfred Hawkins explains the results of continued analysis of a 2019 excavation at the Tower of London, and what they can tell us about the Tower community.

Catherine Howard's proclamation as Queen, Hampton Court, 1540

11 July 2025

Hampton Court is linked to every phase of Catherine Howard's career. But less well known is how Hampton Court birthed Catherine’s tenure as Queen of England.

Inside the Tudor queens' baggage train

30 May 2025

What did the Tudor queens take on their travels, and what can it tell us about the real women behind the titles? Post-Doctoral Researcher Kirsty Wright investigates.

St George and the Tudors

23 April 2025

St George’s Day was already well established by the Tudor period, but the Tudor monarchs saw something more in this patron saint – the perfect symbol to bolster their shaky claim to the throne. 

The death of Henry VII and the delayed accession of Henry VIII

21 April 2025

On 21 April 1509, Henry VII died aged 52 in his private apartments at Richmond Palace. But officials waited two days to tell the strapping young man that he was now King. Why?