Membership Terms and Conditions

About Historic Royal Palaces

Historic Royal Palaces (HRP) is a royal charter body and a registered charity. Our registered address is Hampton Court Palace, East Molesey, KT8 9AU and our registered charity number is 1068852.

Our mission is to create a world where everyone can explore and connect with the past, present, and future. As a charity, we are committed to preserving and sharing the stories of our six magnificent palaces (Tower of London, Hampton Court Palace, Kensington Palace, Banqueting House, Kew Palace and Hillsborough Castle and Gardens) and making them accessible to all. Through partnerships, innovation and storytelling we strive to break down barriers, inspire curiosity and stir the spirit in people of all ages.

Terms and Conditions

When you purchase a membership of Historic Royal Palaces, your membership will be subject to the terms and conditions below along with any additional terms referred to here.

This constitutes the entire agreement between you and HRP in respect of your membership.

We may make changes to these terms and conditions. If we change any key terms, we will notify you before your membership renews either via post or email. Changes to these terms will come into effect once your membership has renewed.

About Your Donation and Gift Aid

In purchasing a membership with Historic Royal Palaces, you are making a charitable donation to Historic Royal Palaces (registered charity number 1068852) which allows us to fulfil our charitable aims as an organisation.

When purchasing a membership, you may choose to apply Gift Aid to your donation.

We can claim up to 25p of every £1 you give us at no extra cost to you. By choosing to Gift Aid you are confirming you are UK taxpayer and understand that if you pay less Income Tax and/or Capital Gains Tax than the amount of Gift Aid claimed on all donations in the tax year it is your responsibility to pay any difference. You are also acknowledging that the membership you are purchasing is for yourself or members of your family.

HRP is registered with the Fundraising Regulator and acts at all times in accordance with the code of Fundraising Practice. For further information on the Fundraising Regulator please visit: https://www.fundraisingregulator.org.uk/

Your Membership

Membership can be purchased for yourself or as a gift for someone else. Standard membership starts on the date of your purchase. Gift membership starts on a date specified by you within 12 months of purchase. All memberships are valid for 12 months and extensions will not be offered if members are unable to use their membership at any stage of their subscription.

We will post your membership card by second class post so you receive it within 28 days of your purchase. If your address is outside of the UK, your membership card may take longer to reach you.

Please contact the Membership Team if you have not received your membership card and welcome pack within 40 days of purchase.

If you lose your card, please email members@hrp.org.uk so that a replacement card can be issued and sent to you. We will replace your card once for free, but for any further replacements we reserve the right to charge a fee.

New members who have joined online will be able to visit the Tower of London, Hampton Court Palace, Kensington Palace and Hillsborough Castle and Gardens immediately (within opening hours) by showing your email confirmation as proof of your membership.

Membership and any associated benefits are non-transferable and can only be used by the named member(s) on the membership card.

Please bring your membership card whenever you visit a Historic Royal Palaces site. A photograph or photocopy of your membership card will not be accepted. We may ask for a form of identification in addition to your membership card upon entry.

We will keep you informed about your membership and benefits mainly via email, including welcome information, events of interest, and news from our palaces. Some communications such as renewal reminders will be sent by post. To ensure you are not missing out on important information, please ensure we have your correct email and postal address and keep us up to date if your contact information changes. For more information on how we may contact you, please see How We Use Your Data below.

Membership Benefits

All members are entitled, upon presentation of a valid membership card, to receive the following discretionary benefits:

• Access to our royal palaces (please see below for additional terms on visiting our palaces and access to Kew Palace);
• a 10% discount in our shops, cafes and restaurants. This discount does not apply to alcohol and may not be used in conjunction with any other offer. Further exclusions may apply and these will be notified to you in our shops, cafes and restaurants;
• access to exclusive member-only events (please see below for further details);
• a 10% discount on admission tickets for Kew Gardens, required to visit Kew Palace, The Great Pagoda, and Queen Charlotte’s Cottage

In addition to the benefits listed above, Life members are welcome to bring one guest with Individual Life membership and two guests with Joint Life membership. Life members may also book tickets for their guest(s) to palace events and member-only events. Guests can only visit when accompanying the Life member.

The membership and any associated benefits are non-transferable and can only be used by the named member(s) on the membership card.

Historic Royal Palaces may, from time to time, review the range of benefits on offer to members and reserves the right to alter membership benefits and entry rights.

Membership Categories

You can purchase the following categories of membership:

• Individual: One named adult (16 years or over). 12 months. 
• Joint: Two named adults (16 years or over) living at the same address. 12 months. 
• Family 1 Adult: One named adult (16 years or over) and up to six named children within the family (aged 5 - 15). 12 months. 
• Family 2 Adults: Two named adults (16 years or over) living at the same address, and up to six named children within the family (aged 5 - 15). 12 months.
• Individual Life: One named person and one un-named guest. Lifetime. 
• Joint Life: Two named people living at the same address and two un-named guests. Lifetime.

Children under the age of 5 can enter our palaces for free and do not need to be included on a membership. Children part of a Family membership must be accompanied by the named adult(s) on their membership to enjoy member benefits.

If you require a carer or companion, please email us at members@hrp.org.uk.

Changing your membership type

If, during the course of your membership subscription, you wish to change your category of membership to one with a higher cost, please contact us and we will arrange to take payment for the difference in price.

If you wish to change to a membership category with a lower value than your existing one, please contact us and the change will be made at the time of renewal. We cannot issue pro rata refunds for downgrading membership.

In either case, a new card will be issued to reflect the change. The expiry date will stay the same.

Visiting the Palaces

All Palaces

You must present your current membership card or confirmation email as proof of your membership on arrival at the main entrance point at each site. If you are attending a ticketed event you will also need to present your tickets on entry.

A photograph or photocopy of your membership card will not be accepted to gain entry to the palaces. We may also ask for a form of identification in addition to your membership card upon entry.

If you have forgotten your membership card, please make your way to an onsite ticket office where you will be issued with a member ticket for your visit. Please bring a form of identification which matches the name(s) on your membership.

Please check our palace webpages in advance of your visit, where you will find our opening hours and any general closures.

You must comply with our Visit Terms and Conditions as set out here https://www.hrp.org.uk/terms-of-use/ when visiting any of our Palaces.

We may refuse entry or revoke your membership benefits without refund if we deem that you have behaved in a threatening or abusive manner towards any person at any Historic Royal Palaces property, damaged or threatened to damage any of the collections or property of Historic Royal Palaces, or if you have otherwise breached these terms and conditions.

Kensington Palace

You may need to book a ticket in advance in order to visit Kensington Palace during exhibition periods. Please check our palace webpage in advance of your visit.

Kew Palace

Please note that Kew Palace is set within the grounds of Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. You will need to purchase a ticket to the Royal Botanic Gardens in order to visit Kew Palace, Queen Charlotte's Cottage and the Great Pagoda during their seasonal opening hours.

Discounted tickets can be purchased via Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew’s website or on the day at one of the ticket offices on site using your code provided in membership communications. A current Historic Royal Palaces membership card must be presented on admission.

Magic Garden

Entry to the Magic Garden at Hampton Court Palace is included in membership. Please check the Magic Garden opening hours in advance of your visit.

Other than for Lifetime Members who may bring an unnamed guest, membership entitles only those named on the membership to enter. Any additional guests will be required to purchase additional tickets.

Children must be accompanied at all times. Adults without children will not be admitted.

Upgrading palace tickets

If you have already purchased a general admission ticket from our palaces or direct from our website (hrp.org.uk) then you may use it to upgrade to membership within two weeks of your visit date. We will discount the price of your membership by the price of your ticket. Child tickets are not eligible as part of this offer. Prices will only be discounted against tickets on a like-for-like basis as follows:

• Individual: One ticket can be deducted from membership price.
• Joint: Two tickets can be deducted from membership price. 
• Family 1 Adult: One ticket can be deducted from membership price.
• Family 2 Adults: Two tickets can be deducted from membership price.
• Individual Life: Two tickets can be deducted from membership price.
• Joint Life: Four tickets can be deducted from membership price.

You must provide proof of your ticket purchase in order to upgrade to membership. This can be the physical tickets, or by providing the reference number in your booking confirmation email.

Only tickets purchased directly from Historic Royal Palaces during one visit may be upgraded to membership.

No tickets can be put towards a change of membership category.

Gift membership

Historic Royal Palaces gift vouchers for membership can be purchased online or at our palace ticket offices. Gift vouchers cannot be purchased by Direct Debit and are not eligible for Gift Aid.

Palace admission tickets cannot be upgraded towards the cost of purchasing a gift voucher for membership.

Gift vouchers are eligible for 12 months from the date of purchase and are non-refundable or extendable.

Member events

Member-only events take place throughout the year across our palaces, and are advertised on our website, through our member email communications and through Inside Story magazine. Member events may be subject to additional terms as set out on our event pages or in our communications to you.

You may need to book tickets to our member-only events in advance and we will notify our members of this requirement on our event pages and in our communications to you. Bookings will be confirmed by an email which will include your e-ticket.

Some member-only events are subject to an additional fee. Where an event fee applies, payment must be made at the time of booking to guarantee your place. Tickets for member events are not refundable, unless otherwise stated.

Please help us to accommodate any specific individual needs by emailing members@hrp.org.uk prior to booking and in advance of the event.

Our events have a limited capacity. Tickets to member-only events are subject to availability and allocated on a first come, first served basis.

All attendees to member-only events must be named Historic Royal Palaces members with a current membership at the time of the event. Life members may bring their guest(s) to member only events. We may offer members-only event tickets to our Patrons and Trustees.

We reserve the right to ask for a form of identification and refuse entry to those without tickets or proof of a valid membership.

Payment and renewal of your membership

We may amend the price of membership subscriptions at any time. Any increase or decrease in the price of membership will apply upon renewal.

Direct Debit

Direct Debit is a safe, secure and easy way to pay, protected by the Direct Debit Guarantee. You can choose to pay by Direct Debit for any membership other than Gift or Life memberships.

Memberships paid for by Direct Debit renew automatically. If you choose to pay by Direct Debit we will take a single annual payment from the UK bank account of the lead member on a membership.

We will always contact you before we take a Direct Debit payment, let you know that your membership is about to renew and to remind you that your payment is due.

We will also inform you of the collection date for payment and of any changes to the amount, date or frequency of the Direct Debit at least 10 working days in advance of your account being debited. You must ensure that you keep us informed of your current postal address so that these communications reach you.

If the payment of membership by Direct Debit is unsuccessful, we may suspend your membership benefits until payment is received in full.

Other payment methods

If you pay for your membership by cash, card or cheque then your membership will lapse the day after the expiry date printed on your card.

We will contact you approximately two weeks before your membership is due to lapse to ask if you wish to renew.

Cancellation and refunds

New memberships purchased online

If you inform us that you have changed your mind within 14 days of purchasing a new membership online and have not used your member benefits, we will provide a full refund for any membership payment taken and cancel your membership. We will refund you using the same means of payment as you used for the initial transaction.

If you have used your membership within those 14 days, we will charge you for any membership benefits you have taken before you cancel, such as a visit to a palace or purchase of discounted tickets/goods.

If you wish to cancel your membership in accordance with these terms, please write to us at members@hrp.org.uk.

All other memberships

You are able to cancel your membership at any time, but membership payments cannot be refunded as the membership fee is classified as a charitable donation by HMRC, and is non-refundable.

If your Historic Royal Palaces membership is due to automatically renew by Direct Debit and you would like to cancel your renewal, please contact us at members@hrp.org.uk  at least 7 working days prior to the payment date. We will confirm your cancellation in writing. You are also able to cancel your Direct Debit Instruction at any time directly with your bank.

How we use your data

When you apply for membership, while you remain a member and for a certain period afterwards, we will retain your personal data. This includes your name and address to fulfil the membership services to you and for our own analysis, in accordance with our Privacy Policy which can be found on our website here: https://www.hrp.org.uk/privacy-notice/

While you are an active member you will receive essential communications about your membership – by post (including your renewal reminder letter) or email to fulfil your membership subscription.

You can unsubscribe from receiving membership communications by email or by post. To do so, please use the 'unsubscribe' link at the bottom of our emails or email members@hrp.org.uk. We may still contact you concerning the administration of your membership.

Law

These terms are governed by and shall be construed in accordance with English Law, and any claim brought under the Terms shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the English Courts.

These terms were last updated on 01 June 2024.