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Historic Royal Palaces blog

Insights and behind the scenes from our palaces

Insights and behind the scenes from our palaces

'May I Go Home?': Lady Jane Grey's First Moments as a Tower Prisoner

11 October 2024

Lady Jane Grey's biographer, Dr Nicola Tallis unpicks the moment that Jane learned of her deposition and was forced to come to terms with her fall from Queen to Tower prisoner.

Lifting the Royal Curtain

01 May 2024

Photographs of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert – now synonymous with the Victorian age – might appear restrained and unremarkable to modern eyes but behind their rigid poses lies a pioneering sentiment.

The Adventurous Life of a Masterpiece

15 April 2024

The glorious 300-year-old Tijou Screen marks the southern boundary of the Privy Garden at Hampton Court Palace. It was designed for William III and Mary II in 1689 by Jean Tijou – one of the greatest ironworkers who ever lived.

Queen Caroline’s State bed is Back!... on Display

09 April 2024

Go behind the scenes with the Conservation team at Hampton Court Palace, who are continuing their work on Queen Caroline's much-loved State Bed.

'Washing the Lions': A Famous April Fools Hoax at the Tower of London

01 April 2024

The Tower of London is home to Britain’s earliest recorded April Fool’s prank – the so-called 'Annual Ceremony of Washing the Lions'.

Responding to Climate Change in the Hampton Court Gardens

29 March 2024

As our climate changes, so do our gardens. Graham Dillamore, Head Gardener at Hampton Court Palace, shares how his team are adapting to these challenges.

The King's 'Malady': George III's Mental Illness Explored

22 March 2024

George III had four prolonged periods of illness during his reign. Despite his achievements, he is perhaps most commonly referred to as ‘The Mad King’ – an unhelpful phrase that undermines the extent of his deeply traumatic ailments, and ignores his physical symptoms.

'The new Terrors of Death': Dr John Arbuthnot, Queen Anne’s favourite physician

11 March 2024

Dr John Arbuthnot was among the army of medical specialists who were summonsed to serve the Royal family in the 18th century. Arbuthnot is little remembered today, but he was 'the Queen’s favourite physician' — a gentle-mannered confidante to courtiers, politicians, poets, writers and ladies-in-waiting alike.

The Boy on the Staircase: Peter 'the Wild Boy' from Hanover

11 March 2024

In 1726 the arrival of a 'wild youth' in the Great Drawing Room of St James's Palace caused a London sensation. A boy in his early teens had been found in German woods 'wild, naked… and knowing nobody'. Brought to England, he was nicknamed Peter 'the wild boy'.

A Glimpse into the World of Two Royal Cooks

11 March 2024

When it came to conjuring up the smell and heat of long-abandoned royal kitchens for Untold Lives, we turned to two cooks’ books which won’t be found on today's kitchen shelves.