Historic Royal Palaces Podcast

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 Unit...

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...

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 Pal...

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...

Thomas Cromwell might have pulled off the most meteoric social climb of the 16th century. From the rough shores of Putney to the illustrious court of Henry VIII, his journey to power reveals so much about the opportunities and dangers of the Tudor period.   In this final episode of our series on Henry VIII's ministers, Tracy Borman explores the real story of a man often seen as a villain. Joined b...

Thomas More lived by the mantra, 'I am the King's good servant, but God's first'. He would also die by it. His defiance at Henry VIII's break with Rome would be his salvation, and his destruction.  In this episode of our series on Henry VIII's ministers, Tracy Borman is joined by historian Dr Joanne Paul to examine the truth behind Thomas More's legacy.   Was he a saintly man of conscience in a co...

Thomas Wolsey was born the son of a butcher from Ipswich, yet he rose to become one of the most powerful men in Tudor England as Henry VIII's Lord Chancellor. He was even known as 'The Other King', and built a palace that rivalled Henry VIII's.  This spectacular rise was only matched by the drama of his fall.  In this first episode of our new series on Henry VIII's ministers, Tracy Borman is joine...

T he Last P rincesses  of  Punjab  left behind legacies that continue to resonate today, but w hat impact did these women have  and how should we remember  them ?    In this final episode in our series, we join  Curators Dr Mishka Sinha and Polly Putnam, as they  chat to  researcher  and collector  Peter Bance,  and   Dr  Nadhra  Shahbaz ,  Associate Professor of the  A rt  and  A rchitecture of P...

The Duleep Singh  sisters   went  from Victorian Debutantes  in high society,  to defiant  changemakers  in the 20 th  century,  but how did this  change  happen?     Join Curators Dr Mishka Sinha and Polly Putnam, alongside Dr Sumita  Mukherjee  and Dr Siobhan Lambert-Hurley, to explore how the sister's  heritage and individual indefinites led them to explore defiance in their lives.    Find out...

The lives of t he  Duleep S ingh sisters   were  deeply  impacted  by Queen Victoria's Empire  in India,  and their father's displacement as the last Maharaja of the Punjab , yet they live d a life  of privilege as  aristocrats  in Victorian Britain .    Join Curators Dr Mishka Sinha  and Polly Putnam , alongside  Dr Priya Atwal , to   explore   the early lives of  Princesses  Sophia,  Catherine  ...

Hampton Court is a palace of two halves and countless stories. But which side is best? The Tudor half displays all the court intrigue of the dynasty it's named for, and yet the Baroque side is no less dramatic, holding the stories of the Restoration, Glorious Revolution, and Georgians within its decorative walls.    Join Tracy Borman and Gareth Russell on a private tour of this palace of two halve...

Mary of Modena and Mary  II are  two Queens whose lives have  been l ost in the story of the 'Glorious Revolution' .  Yet the y were  fundamental to the  machinations of the  turbulent late 1600s, where heightened religious tension made for dangerous politics  at the Stuart court.   So  for today's episode,  we're  bringing them back into the centre of the story.  Chief Historian Tracy Borman is j...

Margaret Beaufort was a leading figure in the tumultuous Wars of the Roses  and would go on to be come  the  matriarch  of the Tudor Dynasty.   Mother  to  Henry VII and a  key player   in bringing  the Tudors  to the throne ,   wa s  Margaret  a manipulative schemer as she has sometimes been portrayed,  or  instead  a  resilient survivor of trauma and decades of civil conflict ?     To  better  u...

On the 1st of Janurary, 1604, Hampton Court Palace hosted a performance by William Shakespeare's acting troupe, The King's Men. They were booked to perform for the new King of England, James VI of Scotland, and one of the plays that they chose was 'A Midsummer Night's Dream'.  What did it mean to be part of 'The King's Men'? How did Shakespeare's relationship with James VI and I shape his life and...

Empress Matilda  wielded  an extraordinary amount of power during the period known as the Anarchy in the   12 th   century,  yet she   just  missed out on  being  crowned  the first  queen regnant in England .    Originally c hosen  as heir  for her abilities as a ruler,  Matilda was  determined to fight her cause  when  her throne  was  usurped by her cousin  Stephen . But how was she  viewed  by...

Archaeology can offer us  new discoveries into the  Tower of London's   medieval  past, as well as  insights into the lives of the community that lived and worked there .  In 2019, and in the summer of 2025, we undertook one of the most important excavations at the Tower for a generation, just outside the Chapel of St Peter A d  V incula .    Now for the first time ever, we have detailed informati...

What was on the table  for   a Tudor Christmas  dinner ? From the lavish feasts of Henry VIII to   the  sugar delicacies gifted to Elizabeth I, Christmas at court was a  spectacle  to behold  and to taste !  But f or ordinary people,  the preservation of  meats, cheese,  fruit  and vegetables  was essential to  even  last  the winter .    In this episode, Hampton Court Palace's Historic Kitchens T...

The lie that started the Stuart Dynasty in England, also shaped the end of the Tudor era. But how can we better understand how this fiction was created, and ultimately who it benefitted? In this final episode of our Stolen Tudor Crown series with Chef Historian Tracy Borman, we delve into the end of Elizabeth I's reign, and the manuscripts written by William Camden that document it. What is truth...

Today Arbella Stuart is Elizabeth I's forgotten heir, yet during her lifetime she was raised in the belief that she might one day be Queen.  Her life can be viewed as tragically romantic, but is there much more to her story then that? What agency did Arbella wield, or was she completely controlled by the forces around her? In this episode, Chief Historian Tracy Borman is joined by historian Sarah...

Guy Fawkes, the man behind th e iconic rhyme   has just failed to light the fuse of the Gunpowder P lot , one of the most notable plots in British history .   In this second episode of our two-part series, Curators Charles Farris, Brett Dolman and Alden Gregory talk through the failure of the plot and what relevance this has to us today . W hy do we still celebrate it ?  

In November 1605, a group of religious radicals attempted to assassinate King James I, the man they deemed responsible for their oppression. Guy Fawkes was meant to light the fuse, bringing the Houses of Parli ament down in a catastrophic explosion. H e failed.    But w hat d rove him and the other plotters to this drastic action?   In this re-released episode, hear from curators Charles Farris, A...

Who were the many uncrowned heirs to Elizabeth I, and how did their role as unnamed successors shape their lives?   In this second episode of the series, we're back with Chief Curator Tracy Borman, as she follows the Tudor family tree back to Henry VII, to unpick the complicated web of successors to Elizabeth I's throne.     Find out more about the claimants to the Tudor Crown.    Read about the t...

What is the story we think we know about the Elizabethan succession? Was it a smooth transition to the Stuarts, or was it a stolen Tudor crown?   In this first episode of our four-part series, Chief Historian Tracy Borman will talk us through why Elizabeth I never named an heir, and what repercussions that had for the end of the Tudor dynasty.   Find out more about Elizabeth's brush with death in...

The story of the end of the Tudor dynasty is well known. With the death of Elizabeth I, the accension of James VI & I saw the Stuarts take the English throne. But the truth behind the succession is much darker than a peacful transition, it's a tale full of treachery  and deceit.  In this four-part series, Chief Historian Tracy Borman will explore the Stolen Tudor Crown. Who were the front runners...