Insights and behind the scenes from our palaces
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.
Restoring Genius: Grinling Gibbons's Carvings in the Orangery of Kensington Palace
30 July 2021
03 August marks the 300th anniversary of the death of Grinling Gibbons, the greatest woodcarver in British history. Buildings Curator Lee Prosser introduces us to some of his lesser-known but incredibly important works in the Orangery at Kensington Palace.
George III: The Mind Behind the Myth exhibition highlights
14 May 2021
In the George III, The Mind Behind the Myth exhibition, we explore George III’s treatment for his ‘madness’ which took place at Kew, in 1789, 1801 and 1804. We have also included objects which tell us something of his passion and interests, and in so doing we have tried to show something of the real person as well as the ‘madness’.
Caring for the Tower of London through lockdown
11 May 2021
While the Tower of London was closed to the public during the Covid-19 pandemic, much work was underway to protect the fabric of the building and the future of the palace. Assistant Curator Alfred Hawkins reveals one of the important projects that he has been working on behind the scenes.
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.
Queen Anne and Sarah Churchill's last stand off at Kensington Palace
25 February 2021
Holly Marsden, PhD researcher on late-Stuart history, takes us inside Kensington Palace to paint a picture of Queen Anne and Sarah Churchill's final goodbye.
Walter Hungerford and the Buggery Act: LGBTQ+ History and Punishment at the Tower of London
19 February 2021
As part of LGBT History Month, Olivia Martin examines a darker side of the Tower's history. On 28 July 1540, the first execution under the Buggery Act, the first civil law to criminalise homosexual behaviour, happened on Tower Hill.
A Queer Walk through Hampton Court Palace
11 February 2021
When you next visit Hampton Court, bring a queer eye to the palace. Shift your perception. Actively look around you. I promise there is a rich history to find.
HRP Handover: Luke Pepera on a story of two kings
27 October 2020
Luke Pepera compares the lives of two kings, 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 definitely heard of one of them, but the other might be new to you…
HRP Handover: Zeinab Badawi on Sarah Forbes Bonetta and "contested history"
22 October 2020
This week, we’ve invited journalist and Historic Royal Palaces Trustee Zeinab Badawi to share her thoughts on the importance of welcoming diverse perspectives on our past, and the problem with the term ‘contested history’.