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Historic Royal Palaces blog

Insights and behind the scenes from our palaces

Jane Boleyn, Lady Rochford: The Most Hated Woman in Tudor England?

01 November 2024

Tracy Borman investigates whether Jane Boleyn, widow of George Boleyn, deserves her notorious reputation, or whether the hostile accounts of her a product of Elizabeth I's later attempts to rehabilitate her mother.

The Extraordinary Life and Death of Lady Margaret Pole, Countess of Salisbury

25 October 2024

Lady Margaret Pole spent her life serving the Tudors. But in 1541, she was led to her execution at the Tower of London on the orders of Henry VIII.

Conserving Henry VIII's Abraham Tapestries

18 October 2024

Textile Treatment Conservator Alice Young introduces a new major project at Historic Royal Palaces, to keep the Abraham tapestries looking their best for future generations.

Imagining Anne Boleyn's Coronation in 1533

10 May 2024

Curator of Historic Buildings, Alden Gregory imagines the ambitious festivities that Henry VIII commissioned to welcome Anne Boleyn as his second Queen Consort.

The Extravagant Funeral of Henry VIII

16 February 2024

Curator of Historic Buildings Alden Gregory explores the elaborate hearse created to mark Henry VIII’s death, and how it links to the King’s use of temporary architecture during his life.

Secrets of Henry VIII's Whitehall: The Archaeology of a Lost Palace

17 August 2023

More than 300 years after the destruction of Whitehall Palace by fire, archaeological excavation and scientific analysis continue to uncover the lost stories and secrets of Henry VIII's once elaborate home.

The Weird and Wonderful Medicines of Henry VIII

12 January 2023

Henry VIII is one of England’s most famous monarchs, but lesser known are his numerous medical problems and the often-extraordinary remedies which he used to treat them.

The Islamic World and Tudor England: ambassadors, rhubarb and sugar

05 May 2021

With over 3 million British Muslims currently celebrating the holy month of Ramadan, it’s a fitting time to explore how the Elizabethan and Jacobean court encountered the Islamic world. Misha Ewen is our new Curator of Inclusive History at Historic Royal Palaces and in her first blog she shares what she has been working on.

A story of two kings

27 October 2020

Luke Pepera compares the lives of Mvemba a Nzinga, or Afonso I, of Kongo and Henry VIII of England, both of whom ruled their kingdoms in the first half of the 16th century. If you’ve ever visited Hampton Court Palace you’ll have heard of one of them, but the other might be new to you…