Insights and behind the scenes from our palaces
Anne Boleyn and the rumours of witchcraft
19 May 2026
Tracy Borman investigates how patriarchal Tudor beliefs about witchcraft were used to undermine Anne's reputation, even after her death.
Elizabeth I: One of England’s Greatest Orators?
07 April 2026
Curator Charles Farris examines some of Elizabeth I's most famous speeches.
Njinga Mbande and Elizabeth I: two extraordinary queens
23 February 2026
Queen Njinga Mbande and Elizabeth I of England were both highly competent rulers, devoted to their people, and they remain profoundly impactful. But there was one big difference between them.
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.
The death and succession of Elizabeth I: claimants to the Tudor crown
11 April 2025
Elizabeth I's death marked the accession of James VI/I to her throne and the emergence of the Stuart dynasty within England. But this was certainly not a foregone conclusion at the time.
Thomas Cromwell's fateful match-making
29 November 2024
Tracy Borman explores the real history behind Thomas Cromwell's downfall, which forms the dramatic conclusion to Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light.
A model of queenship: Lady Elizabeth's summer with Katherine Parr, 1544
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.
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.