You are at the top of the page

Skip to content or footer

Start of main content

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.

A Model of Queenship: Lady Elizabeth's Summer with Katherine Parr

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.

Elizabeth I's Brush with Death at Hampton Court, 1562

06 September 2024

In 1562, Elizabeth I was taken suddenly and dangerously ill at Hampton Court Palace. Her courtiers were thrown into panic; if the young Queen died, it could spell the end of the Tudor dynasty.

Elizabeth I: History's Healthiest Monarch?

15 January 2024

Elizabeth I was top of the Tudor tree when it came to health and fitness. Always a resourceful woman, she chased away ‘melancholy’ with a whole host of entertaining pursuits.

Elizabeth I’s coronation procession from the Tower of London

17 November 2022

Curator Charles Farris recalls Elizabeth’s dramatic procession from the Tower of London to Westminster the day before her coronation.

The Tragic Story of Lady Katherine Grey

08 November 2022

Chief Curator Tracy Borman takes a look at the life of Katherine Grey, who like her sister, Lady Jane Grey, was imprisoned at the Tower of London.

New Year's Day and the Tudors: A Lesson in Celebrations

17 December 2021

Chief Curator Tracy Borman explains that for the Tudors the party was only just getting started...and she's got a personal reason for agreeing with them.

The Islamic World and Tudor England: ambassadors, rhubarb and sugar

05 May 2021

With over 3 million British Muslims currently celebrating the holy month of Ramadan, it’s a fitting time to explore how the Elizabethan and Jacobean court encountered the Islamic world. Misha Ewen is our new Curator of Inclusive History at Historic Royal Palaces and in her first blog she shares what she has been working on.

Herbs through history: from the Tudors to today

29 July 2019

Central to the Kitchen Garden at Hampton Court is its collection of herbs, and they are looking at their best in the summer. While many of them are familiar, some unusual ones have had some fascinating uses throughout history.