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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.

Royal Ceremonial Dress Collection in the Jewel House

26 June 2023

Curator Charles Farris introduces some of the amazing ceremonial dress now on display in the Jewel House exhibition.

Conservation and discoveries in our paper collections

06 February 2020

We have around 25,000 works of art on paper in Historic Royal Palaces' collection. While many are on display, the vast majority are held in storage. These are delicate items and it's essential to conserve and store them correctly in order to preserve them for posterity.

Little Vickelchen': sketches of Queen Victoria as a girl

26 May 2019

A unique set of sketches in our collection show Princess Victoria at three years old, on holiday in the seaside town of Ramsgate, Kent in 1822. They give us a rare informal glimpse of Victoria as a pink-cheeked cherub and a bundle of energy.

Kensington Palace Gains a Throne Canopy

06 December 2017

After its doors briefly closed, the Presence Chamber at Kensington Palace has reopened with a throne canopy sitting pride of place as you enter the room.

Hercules takes a bath

16 November 2016

The Death of Hercules tapestry was recently removed from the Great Watching Chamber at Hampton Court Palace for conservation reasons. We have now begun the two-year conservation programme, starting with wet cleaning in our custom-built facility.

Progress on the Coat of Arms: Queen Anne's Throne Canopy Conservation

18 October 2016

At first glance, the coat of arms embroidery appears to be one whole piece. It is however made up of 19 individual pieces, put together like a puzzle. The picture of the unicorn below shows that it is in fact made of four different sections.

Objects Unwrapped: A 13th-Century Condiment dish

15 December 2015

This small green-glazed ceramic dish was found during excavations near the Middle Tower at the Tower of London in the 1930s. It dates from the late 13th century and was possibly made at a pottery workshop in Kingston, just down the river from Hampton Court Palace.