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.
Secrets of Henry VIII's Whitehall: The Archaeology of a Lost Palace
17 August 2023
More than 300 years after the destruction of Whitehall Palace by fire, archaeological excavation and scientific analysis continue to uncover the lost stories and secrets of Henry VIII's once elaborate home.
Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn's secret wedding at Whitehall Palace
22 August 2016
In the early morning of 25 January 1533, Henry VIII married Anne Boleyn in a secret marriage service in Whitehall Palace. Only a handful of witnesses were present: a chaplain, two members from Henry's privy chamber and one of Anne Boleyn's attendants.
Barbara Villiers' 'delicate' protest at Whitehall Palace
16 August 2016
Today Whitehall is the scene of frequent protests and demonstrations as it is the home of government and decision-makers. However, in the spring of 1662, Whitehall was the setting of a rather different objection – that of a determined woman against her lover.
Whitehall Palace: Anne Boleyn's Favourite Residence
01 June 2016
On 1 June 1533 Anne Boleyn was crowned queen at Westminster Abbey. Anne processed from the Tower of London in a litter of white cloth of gold and wore fur trimmed purple robes on the day she finally became Henry VIII’s queen.