Insights and behind the scenes from our palaces
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.
'May I Go Home?': Lady Jane Grey's First Moments as a Tower Prisoner
11 October 2024
Lady Jane Grey's biographer, Dr Nicola Tallis unpicks the moment that Jane learned of her deposition and was forced to come to terms with her fall from Queen to Tower prisoner.
A Model of Queenship: Lady Elizabeth's Summer with Katherine Parr
20 September 2024
Tracy Borman travels back to 1544, when Elizabeth spent a happy summer at Hampton Court Palace watching her beloved stepmother, Katherine Parr act as Regent. This visit would have an enduring impact on the young princess.
Elizabeth I's Brush with Death at Hampton Court, 1562
06 September 2024
In 1562, Elizabeth I was taken suddenly and dangerously ill at Hampton Court Palace. Her courtiers were thrown into panic; if the young Queen died, it could spell the end of the Tudor dynasty.
Medieval and Tudor Poets at the Tower
09 August 2024
What dramatic Tudor event might Sir Thomas Wyatt have drawn on for his poetry? And did you know Geoffrey Chaucer worked at the Tower of London?
The Death of Elizabeth of York at the Tower of London
05 July 2024
Tracy Borman delves into the story behind the death of the original Tudor Queen, within the walls of this royal fortress.
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.
Responding to Climate Change in the Hampton Court Gardens
29 March 2024
As our climate changes, so do our gardens. Graham Dillamore, Head Gardener at Hampton Court Palace, shares how his team are adapting to these challenges.
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.