Historic Royal Palaces are a team of people who love and look after six of the most wonderful palaces in the world. This fortnightly podcast brings you the history and stories of those palaces. You'll hear from our experts and the people who bring our palaces to life, as we create space to explore how history moves us, telling stories about the monarchs you know, and uncovering the lives and histories of the people you don't. Just like our palaces, this podcast is a mix of old and new. Each…
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We might think of Queen Victoria as an elderly woman in black mourning dress, but she was only 18 when she came to the throne. Victoria spent much of her childhood at Kensington Palace . Here, a rigorous programme of education aimed to prepare her for the responsibility of ruling Britain and its Empire. Victoria believed her childhood was 'oppressive', but what was her schooling really like, and…
A regicide might be the last person you'd think would save a king's palace – but in Oliver Cromwell, Hampton Court found an unlikely admirer. During his time as Head of State, Cromwell's family filled Hampton Court with music, art and beauty – and even some scandalous statues – as their family home. In doing so, they saved it from the threat of demolition, and ensured its survival until Charles II…
Charles I's execution was unprecedented and shocking. He staked everything on his divine right to rule – the same concept that inspired his spectacular Rubens ceiling at the Banqueting House, Whitehall Palace. Ironically, this glorification of monarchy was one of the King's last sights, before he died on the scaffold. In this episode, curators Minette Butler and Dr Alden Gregory explore this…
The walls of the Tower of London are covered with carvings - graffiti left behind by the prisoners who were locked inside. The Tudor monarchs imprisoned hundreds of people, for treason, sedition, or simply their religious faith. In this episode, Dr Jamie Ingram visits the Beauchamp Tower, which houses some of the most impressive and well known graffiti at the Tower of London. These marks, some of…
Queen Anne was the first Queen of Great Britain , but wasn't supposed to rule. She could be pious and shy, but was also scandelous and scheming. Today, she is perhaps best known from the award winning film, 'The Favourite '. Anne's impact is clear at Hampton Court Palace, where the ceiling of the Queen's Drawing Room is covered with a glorious homage to her reign. In this episode, join historian…
Benjamin Franklin – Founding Father, writer, inventor – remains one of the most famous visitors to Hillsborough Castle in its history. His visit to his political foe, Wills Hill, 1st Earl of Hillsborough, in 1771 offers an unexpected link to the history of US independence. The two men were so completely opposed that earlier the same year, Franklin had tried to have Lord Hillsborough impeached. In…
In the Declaration of Independence, signed on 4th July 1776, King George III is cast as a 'tyrant'. How fair is this representation? In this episode, Kew Palace curator Polly Putnam is joined by Dr Rachel Herrmann, Senior Lecturer in Modern American History at Cardiff University, and Dr Robin Eagles, Editor at the History of Parliament Trust. Together, they explore George III's legacy in the…
LGBTQ+ people have always existed in the history of our palaces, but stories of this community are often obscured or misunderstood. We've delved into the archive to bring you this special episode for Pride Month , re-connecting with stories from the LGBTQ+ community . When we explore queer histories, we gain a much fuller picture of societies in the past, from when our palaces were first built,…
In 1533, the Boleyns seemed to have it all. Anne Boleyn was Queen, and her family were reaping the rewards of Henry VIII's favour. But it was not to last. Within three years, each member of the faction was fighting for survival as their power evaporated. In this second episode of a two-part series on the Rise and Fall of the Boleyns, Tracy Borman is joined by Gareth Russell at Hampton Court…
The Boleyn family captivated Henry VIII – but who were they before their meteoric rise to fame? Who were the little-known women operating from Hever Castle? And was Anne's father the schemer he's made out to be? In this first episode of a new series on the Rise and Fall of the Boleyns, Chief Historian Tracy Borman is joined by Owen Emmerson and Kate McCaffrey from Hever Castle. They explore how…
