Wordless Stories launched by Historic Royal Palaces

Historic Royal Palaces – the independent charity which looks after the Tower of London, Hampton Court Palace, Kensington Palace, Hillsborough Castle and Gardens, and more – today announces the launch of its Wordless Stories project, a new initiative created to help those who find written text challenging to engage with British history.

Made possible through support from The Lord Leonard and Lady Estelle Wolfson Foundation, the project marks the UK’s first ever series of fully illustrated wordless stories about iconic characters from British history. Told entirely through images, with no written text or numbers, these stories are designed to support reluctant readers, students with learning disabilities and anyone for whom traditional text-based history presents a barrier to understanding.

From the outset, the project has been developed in close partnership with special schools local to HRP’s sites. Students who face challenges with literacy, alongside their teachers, have played a central role in shaping each story, ensuring the resources reflect the needs, interests and interpretations of the young people they are designed to support. While rooted in SEND-informed practice, the stories will also be fully accessible to mainstream classrooms, home learners and older audiences who find text-heavy learning challenging.

Inspired by the brilliant work of the charity Books Beyond Words, these Wordless Stories will each focus on the childhood or early life of its subject, offering young people the opportunity to reflect on universal themes such as fear, resilience, intolerance, connection, belonging and standing up for one’s beliefs.

The first story will be on the early life of Elizabeth Tudor, made available online on Wednesday 14 January 2026. Illustrated by Charlotte Firmin – who has illustrated over 30 children’s books in her 50-year career – it will explore themes of traumatic loss, rejection, resilience and self-belief. The second story, Princess Victoria, illustrated by Danica da Silva Pereira, delves into experiences of isolation and inner strength during the princess’s formative years. Future instalments will include the stories of William of Normandy and The Princes in the Tower, both scheduled for development in Year 3 of the project.

Annette McCartney, HRP’s Schools Content Producer and Project Manager for Wordless Stories said: “More than ever, young people need stories that help them navigate an increasingly complex world. Wordless storytelling empowers students to interpret meaning visually, strengthening oracy, visual literacy, and analytical thinking. By removing text-based barriers, these Wordless Stories will open up the past to learners who might otherwise find traditional history materials inaccessible and helping further Historic Royal Palaces’ mission to share the stories that shape us all in meaningful and inclusive ways for everyone.”

Co-created with schools

Collaboration with schools has been central to the Wordless Stories project. Each story has been co-created with teachers and students, from initial concept to final illustrations. For the first story, exploring Elizabeth Tudor’s childhood, HRP worked closely with four London schools which provide for students with moderate to severe learning disabilities, and/or Social, Emotional and Mental Health (SEMH) challenges: Beatrice Tate School, Ian Mikardo School, Spa School Bermondsey, and St Marylebone Bridge School. 

Teachers helped select the four stories being developed and students helped test draft illustrations in class, sharing their feedback. This input directly shaped the final artworks and narrative. Partner schools are invited to a Celebration Day at the palace where their story happened, and meet the illustrator for live drawing workshops. They will also receive recognition in the publication they helped to shape.

Free and accessible for all schools

Alongside the illustrated stories, HRP is developing a package of free supporting resources for schools. These will include teacher guidance and classroom activities aligned with History, English, PSHE and SMSC curricula. The resources are designed to help teachers build students’ confidence, communicate ideas more clearly, develop empathy and engage with diverse perspectives. 

All Wordless Stories materials will be freely available as digital downloads via the Historic Royal Palaces website, optimised for printing, tablets and classroom screens. The first story in the series, Elizabeth Tudor, will launch online at hrp.org.uk on Wednesday 14 January 2026.