Historic Royal Palaces Podcast

Hampton Court Palace has an unexpected co n nection to the Heroic A ge of Antarctic E xploration, t he wedding of famous explorer Captain Scott and sculptor   Kathleen Bruce took place in the Chapel Royal. We follow Assistant Curator Minette Butler as she explores a shut-off part of the Palace, highlighting how   new research into Grace and Favour residents is revealing such  curious connections,...

Katherine Parr is the final Tudor Queen in our series . Was she t he nursemaid who looked after and survived her husband , o r was she much   more than that ? In th is final episode of our Six Queens Series , Tracy Borman and historian Sar ah Gristw oo d acquaint us with the woman behind the myths , a n intelligen t, str on g and resourceful champion of her own agenda.   This episode also conclude...

Catherine Howard has been judged by generations as promiscuous, a silly girl, a victim. But of course, there is more to her story than th ese assumptions allow for.   In the fifth episode of our Six Tudor Queens series, Tracy Borman is joined by historian and author Gareth Russell , to bring Cath e rine to life . They paint a picture of a vivacious young woman whose life deserves to be revealed wi...

Dive into the history of Royal Christmas celebrations in our palaces with this bonus seasonal episode. C hief mischief-maker Curator Charles Farris is joined by fellow Curator Lee Prosser , and Historic Kitchen s Manager Richard Fitch , to kick off the season of revelry with some Christmas tomfoolery.   We'll be back next week to continue The Six Tudor Queens series.  For the Victorian Christmas p...

Tracy Borman talk s about her favourite of the Six Tudor Queen s , Anne of Cleves.   Divorced , so the rhyme goes, for being the ' ugly ' Queen .   Anne's looks were the least interesting thing about her , but her story has been dominated by them for centuries . Tracy is joined by fellow Curator Brett Dolman to unpack th is fixation on appearance and reveal the woman beneath the myths .          T...

This week we're talking about  Queen number three, Jane Seymour. O nce again Tracy Borman is joined by a fantastic guest, Dr Nicola Tallis will bring Jane to life for us.   Always thought of as the favourite wife, Jane Seymour is best known for giving birth to the male heir that her husband so desired, and for being the one in the rhyme who sadly died. But we don't know very much about her as a wo...

The one you've been waiting for! Tracy Borman is joined by Dr Owen Emmerson and Palace Host James Peacock , to take on the mammoth task of disrupting the reputation of the second and most famous of the six Tudor Queens , Anne Boleyn. They'll explore this in the Great Hall of Hampton Court Palace, which remains a symbol of Anne's triumph and her downfall.   Please be aware that this episode contain...

Tracy Borman opens our new series on the Queens C onsort of Henry VIII with renowned historian Dr Elizabeth Norton. To better understand the six Queens , they first explore the context of the turbulent time s in which these women lived .    As the first Queen of Henry VIII , Katherine of Aragon's reputation as the  dowdy wronge d wi fe has endured for 500 years , but Tracy and Elizabeth call this...

In this new series Chief Curator Tracy Borman will guide us through the well-known lives of the six Tudor queens who all had one man common.    This six-part series will aim to do the Queens justice whilst discussing some of the interpretations that history has offered of them.  We'll  talk about what they might have been like as women in  their own time, and  reflect on the language we use when w...

  In this  week's episode , exhibition lead Zakira Begum and Community Curators Rav Singh and Dr Tej Pal Singh Ralmill explore t he impact of the World Wars on the Indian Army , how they moved the Indian Subcontinent towards independence from the British Empire , and ultimately ho w the legacy of this history is still relevant today.     This is the second of two episodes where we're celebrating t...

In the early 20th century s oldiers from the Indian Army camped at Hampton Court Palace on a number of occasions for coronations and peace celebrations. But behind all the pomp and ceremony was a much darker side .   In this episode , E xhibition Lead Zakira Begum and C ommunity Curators Rav Singh and Dr Tej Pal Singh Ralmil l cover the background and context of the British Empire and the Indian A...

This week we're back with the final episode from series two of A Space I Love.   Today Head of Historic Buildings Dan Jackson takes us into a space that for him, sums up what Hampton Court Palace is all about , the hidden east wall of the Chapel Roy al .       Tucked away for 400 years , this jigsaw p uzzle of a space reveals a lot about the history of this extraordinary palace , as well as its my...

  This week marks the penultimate episode in our six-part mini-series on special places in our palaces. We're following   C urator Polly Putnam into Queen Charlotte's Drawing Room in Kew Palace, the home of the Royal Family during the illnesses of George III.   This small and domestic- feeling room holds a lot of sadness from the past , but from this Polly is able to reflect on finding joy in the...

In the fourth part of this series,  Curator Lee Prosser  takes us into  a  hidden space at the Banqueting House , once part of the great Whitehall Palace . It may  not be the famous Rubens ceiling , but Lee will reveal how the roof space of the Banqueting House   is a piece of living history, with a rich past and an important role for the future.   For information on visiting the Banqueting House,...

This week is the third part of our mini-series on spaces we love. We'll be joining Assistant Curator Alfred Hawkins   who has chosen to take us i nto th e Chapel of St Peter Ad Vincula at the Tower of London.   As the burial place of Anne Boleyn, the Chapel Royal holds a special place to many history fans, b ut there is so much more to this community place of worship. Alfred reveals that the myths...

This week we're continuing our mini-series on treasured spaces with a trip through a place full of historic clothing, the Royal Ceremonial Dress Collection .   We'll fo llow Curator Matthew Storey into this hidden store , to find out how we can learn from the stories that are carried in the historic clothing we look after, an d how they really do h old relevance for today.   If you would like to f...

Welcome back to series two of A Space I Love. In this six-part mini-series, we' re back exploring a selection of treasured spaces in our palaces with the people who know them best, our curators.    In this first episode we'll follow Alden Gregory behind-the-scenes into the King's House at the Tower of London, a place  that is intimately connected with the Gunpowder Plot , and the interrogation of...

Coming next week on Thursday 29th June. In this six-part mini-series, our curators are back sharing their favourite spaces with you. We'll be exploring a selection of treasured spaces in our palaces, from behind-the-scenes stores, to rooms of immense importance to British history.  Some spaces will be grand and some modest, some aren't even open to the public. But each space has been personally ch...

For today's episode, we're at Hampton Court Palace and we're going behind the scenes into a very s pecial  place; the Textile Conservation Studio.    We'll speak to our specialist conservators to hear about the care and craftsmanship that goes into looking after historic dress, as well as the challenges around preparing for a blockbuster exhibition .   This is the final episode in a series where w...

In this episode join Curators Polly Putnam and Claudia Acott-Williams for a mini tour of the Crown to Couture exhibition at Kensington Palace. They'll talk about their favourite pieces on display, as well as the craftsmanship that goes into making high fashion, from the Georgian Court to the Red Carpet of today.  This is the third episode in a series where we're celebrating the opening of our new...

From Beyoncé to Billie Eilish, f ashion is undeniably personal and politic al . B ut the legacy of harnessing fashion as a tool for power and representa tion goes back to the 18 th century and beyond. In this episode Curators Matthew Story, Polly Putnam and Claudia Acott-Williams celebrate the joy of fashion as a symbol of identity at the Georgian Court, and its importance on the Red Car p et toda...

The fashion history of the Georgian Court has a lot of similarities with the Red Carpet and Met Gala glamour of today. In this episode Curators Matthew Story, Polly Putnam and Claudia Acott-Williams unpick these parallels , and take us on a journey th r ough getting ready in the 18th century, revealing how surprisingly, it's not that different from how celebrities are styled and prepared for the R...

Join us for a whistle-stop tour of the History of Coronations. Curators Charles Farris, Alden Gregory and Lee Prosser will lead you on a merry dance through time, from medieval pre-coronation baths, to a man rolling down the steps at Queen Victoria's coronation. There's never a dull moment!  To find out more about the history of coronations, and how Historic Royal Palaces are celebrating visit:  h...

For this week's episode we're bringing you another talk from our archives given by our Curator Charles Farris. We all know Henry VIII was an extravagant King, but in this talk we hear how he carried this extravagance into temporary palaces that travelled with him to events such as the Field of Cloth of Gold. These temporary structures really help to contextualise the importance of show and display...

For this week's episode we're bringing you another talk from our archives given by our Curator Alden Gregory. We all know Henry VIII was an extravagant King, but in this talk we hear how he carried this extravagance into temporary palaces that travelled with him to events such as the Field of Cloth of Gold. These temporary structures really help to contextualise the importance of show and display...