Tagged Results
Stories
The Crown Jewels
The history of the Crown Jewels, including the Imperial State Crown - a priceless collection used to crown the kings and queens of England.
The story of Kensington Palace
An elegant retreat for Britain's royal family
The masque
A fabulously extravagant early 17th century court entertainment
Guy Fawkes and the Gunpowder Plot
Who was the real Guy Fawkes, the man behind the mask?
Sir Walter Raleigh
This wild spirit found himself caged at the Tower of London
The story of Hampton Court Palace
Home of Henry VIII and the Tudor dynasty
LGBT Royal Histories
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Queer histories in our palaces
The execution of Charles I
Killing of a 'treasonous' King
Queen Anne
A surprisingly successful monarch, despite ill health and tragedy
What's on
- Things to see
Great Watching Chamber
Discover Henry VIII’s State Apartments and the battle for power at the Tudor court in the Great Watching Chamber.
- Open
- In line with palace opening hours
- Hampton Court Palace
- Included in palace admission (Members go free)
- Things to see
The Palace Gardens
Walk in the footsteps of royalty in the beautiful Kensington Palace gardens.
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Open
- 10:00 - 16:00. Last entry 15:45.
- Kensington Palace
- Free
- Things to see
Hampton Court Gardens
Take time to explore and relax in these world-renowned gardens and find our free entry Garden Open Days dates.
- Open
- In line with palace opening hours
- Hampton Court Palace
- Included in palace admission (Members go free)
- Things to see
William III's apartments
Enjoy the beautiful State Apartments and private rooms of William III at Hampton Court Palace as part of your visit.
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Open
- In line with palace opening hours
- Hampton Court Palace
- Included in palace admission (Members go free)
- Things to see
Kitchen Garden
Experience the recreated Kitchen Garden, which would have fed the Georgian royals and now supplies Henry VIII's Kitchens.
- Open
- In line with palace opening hours
- Hampton Court Palace
- Included in palace admission (Members go free)
- Things to see
Line of Kings
Marvel at the historic armour of Henry VIII, Charles I and James II in the Line of Kings at the White Tower.
- Open
- Tower of London
- Included in palace admission (Members go free)
- Things to see
Imprisonment at the Tower exhibition
Learn why people ended up as prisoners in the Tower of London, in the very rooms where some of them were held.
- Open
- Tower of London
- Included in palace admission (Members go free)
- Things to see
Fountain Court
Designed by Christopher Wren, explore the elegant baroque architecture of Fountain Court.
- Open
- In line with palace hours
- Hampton Court Palace
- Included in palace admission (Members go free)
- Things to see
The Maze
Lose yourself in the most famous maze in the world. The Hampton Court Maze is still baffling visitors after 300 years.
- Open
- 10.00 - 16.00
- Hampton Court Palace
- Included in palace admission (Members go free)
Discover more
Searching for the Young Black Man in the Portrait of William III, Part 1
A young Black man dressed in blue and gold holding a helmet stands beside William III in a portrait that is a focal point of our exhibition: Untold Lives: A Palace at Work. Who was he? Where did he live and when? Why is he in the painting with William III? And how can historians unravel the mystery surrounding him?
Searching for the Young Black Man in the Portrait of William III, Part 2
The next step in our search was to look at sources and pictures on William III's life before he arrived in England, and his first court, to attempt to discover more about this young man, and why he might have been painted with the King.
Sir Christopher Wren's Hampton Court Palace
Head of Historic Buildings Daniel Jackson looks at one of Sir Christopher Wren's most famous and problematic projects: the remodelling of Hampton Court Palace.
The death and succession of Elizabeth I
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.
The rise and fall of Robert Carr, Earl of Somerset
Historian Gareth Russell picks up the tale of a scandal that no one had foreseen when the inoffensive Robert Carr arrived at James VI's court.
George Villiers, First Duke of Buckingham
In the ruthless world of the Stuart court, royal favour was everything. No one knew this better than George Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckingham, whose rise to power was built on the love and patronage of James I.
Why we need to stop looking for sex: letters and LGBT+ royal history
'How do you know?' I've been asked this a lot recently when I've been talking about LGBT+ royal history. I'm glad to be asked it, because it gets to the heart of studying LGBT+ identities in the past. In this post, I'd like to talk about the evidence and assumptions, which tell us a lot about sexuality in the past, and today.
Queer Lives at the Tower: The LGBT+ Stories that were almost on the tours
Queer Lives at the Tower, our new LGBT+ tours at the Tower of London are just a couple of weeks away, and the team are rehearsing to deliver a bold and new experience. However, there are some stories that didn’t quite make the cut. I’m going to tell you them here, to see what they tell us about how we work with LGBT+ history.
Mary Frith, The Cross-Dressing Cavalier
Frith was a 17th-century public figure who caused much controversy and was arrested many times for wearing clothes made for men. In her lifetime it was this masculine attire that saw her labelled as deviant, rather than her alleged prostitution of women and a business that sold stolen goods. Frith was also an ardent royalist. Here, Holly shares a few of the contradictions of Frith’s fascinating personality.