Historic Royal Palaces Podcast

In today's episode we're celebrating International Women's Day with our Chief Curator Lucy Worsley.    In this second episode Lucy joins us for a chat about why the past is important, and who we should be celebrating for International Women's Day.    To find out more about the Crown to Couture exhibition go to:    https://www.hrp.org.uk/kensington-palace/whats-on/crown-to-couture/  

In this episode we're trying something new . T oday is International Women's Day, and what better way to celebrate than with two special episodes featuring our Chief Curators .    In this first episode Tracy Borman answers a quick-fire round of 21 Questions . We find out about her work, histor ic women who inspire her and what she always has on her desk!   We'll be back tomorrow with another 21 Qu...

The Jewish medieval history of the Tower of London remains relatively unknown to our everyday visitors, and yet it is foundational to the first 200-years of the life of the fortress, as well as medieval England itself.   In this episode Curator Charles Farris is joined by Dr Rory MacLellan and Professor Miri Rubin, to reflect on how new research at Historic Royal Palaces has helped give a more nua...

For this week's episode we're bringing you a talk from our archives by journalist and author Anita Anand, on the extraordinary life of Princess Sophia Duleep Singh As the daughter of the deposed Maharaja Duleep Singh and Goddaughter to Queen Victoria, Sophia learned to use her fame and position to passionately fight for gender equality as a suffragette. She even campaigned regularly outside Hampto...

This week we're back with the final episode from our mini-series on spaces we love in our palaces and what a way to end! Chief Curator Tracy Borman has chosen to take us into a room that isn't open to visitors, but that witnessed two momentous moments in Tudor history; the birth of Henry VIII's long-awaited heir, and the death of his beloved wife Jane Seymour. Tracy explains how this room is a pla...

This week is the penultimate episode in our six-part mini-series and today we are in for a treat! Curatorial placement student Cara Gathern takes us into one of the most exciting but hidden spaces at Hampton Court Palace, Henry VIII's bedroom. It may not look like a royal Tudor bedroom today, but Cara will reveal how this space has transported her to the past, and particularly to the medicinal pra...

In the fourth part of this series, we're taking a walk with curator Claudia Acott-Williams into her favourite space at Kensington Palace, the room where Queen Victoria was born. Claudia will explain how this room was intentionally chosen as the birthplace of the future Queen of England.   To find out more about the childhood of Queen Victoria go to:   https://www.hrp.org.uk/kensington-palace/whats...

This week is the third part of our mini-series on spaces we love. We'll be joining curator Charles Farris who has chosen to take us on a gentle stroll into a small but rather special Tudor space, hidden away in the depths of Hampton Court Palace. Charles will help us imagine how this space may have witnessed some of the biggest moments in Henry VIII's reign.  To see the Wolsey Closet up close and...

This week we're continuing our mini-series on treasured spaces with a modest cottage hidden away in Kew Gardens. We'll take a walk with Curator Lee Prosser through this intimate and charming space, to learn how it was used as a retreat away from public life for Queen Charlotte, George III and the royal family.    Find more information on Queen Charlotte's Cottage here hrp.org.uk/kew-palace/whats-o...

In this new six-part mini-series, we'll be exploring a selection of treasured spaces in our palaces with the people who know them best, our curators.    Some spaces will be grand and some modest, some aren't even open to the public. But each space has been personally chosen by our resident experts to reveal how immersing ourselves in the past can connect us to the present.    In this first episode...

In this six-part mini-series, we'll be exploring a selection of treasured spaces in our palaces with the people who know them best, our curators.   Some spaces will be grand and some modest, some aren't even open to the public. But each space has been personally chosen by our resident experts to reveal how immersing ourselves in the past can connect us to the present.      The first epsidoe will b...

The well-known nursery rhyme cautions us to 'Remember, Remember, the fifth of November, gunpowder, treason, and plot', but what does the Gunpowder Plot really mean to us today?   In this second episode of our two-part series on the Gunpowder Plot, Curators Charles Farris, Brett Dolman and Alden Gregory explore how the plot was foiled, and whether the 5th of November still holds relevance to us now...

It's no small feat to tackle the Gunpowder Plot of 1605. It was an attempt by radical Catholic conspirators to assassinate King James I, and to destroy parliament in one devastating explosion, with Guy Fawkes lighting the fuse. But this two-part series is about more than just Guy Fawkes.    In this first episode we'll aim to cover the crucial context of the plot. Join Curators Charles Farris, Bret...

The Victorian era is defined by great leaps in cultural, technological and scientific innovations. In this series compiled from our archive we explore the fast moving world of Queen Victoria.        In this talk historian John Naylor introduces us to steampunk and explores how its creative and aesthetic roots grew from the Victorian industrial revolution.

The Victorian era is defined by great leaps in cultural, technological and scientific innovations.  In this series compiled from our archive we explore the fast moving world of Queen Victoria.        Join historian Paula Bartley as she explores the role of Victoria as both a woman and a queen in a politically male domain. 

The Victorian era is defined by great leaps in cultural, technological and scientific innovations. In this series compiled from our archive we explore the fast moving world of Queen Victoria. This talk from historian Dr Chris Renwick delves into the mysterious world of Victorian séance, the craze for the supernatural, and its connection to contemporary science.  

In this two-part series compiled from our archives we explore the history of food and dining across our palaces. In this second episode, food historian Pen Vogler explains the art of describing culinary delights and disasters, and discusses the origins of food writing. For more information on the history and stories of our palaces visit: www.hrp.org.uk/history-and-stories

In this two-part series from our archives, we explore the history of food and dining across our palaces.        For this episode, join food historian Dr Annie Gray as she delves into the delights of the Georgian dinner table. For more information on the history and stories of our palaces visit: www.hrp.org.uk/history-and-stories

In this talk writer Thomas Levenson discovers the surprising and unknown history of Isaac Newton as Warden of the Mint at the Tower of London. For more information on the history and stories of our palaces visit: www.hrp.org.uk/history-and-stories

In this second talk on Richard III, historian Michael Hicks contextualises the life and character of King Richard III. For more information on the history and stories of our palaces visit: www.hrp.org.uk/history-and-stories

In the first of two talks on Richard III, leading archaeologist Dr Richard Buckley tells his story of the amazing discovery of Richard III in a car park in the city of Leicester, England. For more information on the history and stories of our palaces visit: www.hrp.org.uk/history-and-stories

The history of the English garden reveals more than expected about the past and its people. This series explores the theme of gardens as places of work, rest, and leisure.     In this talk landscape architect Robert Myers describes the personality of the Magic Garden at Hampton Court Palace as a playful space for children. This talk was recorded live at Hampton Court Palace in 2015.

The history of the English garden reveals more than expected about the past and its people. This series explores the theme of gardens as places of work, rest, and leisure.     In this talk historian Alison Sim talks about how the Tudors used gardens as places for play, pleasure and to show their power. This talk was recorded live at Hampton Court Palace in 2015.

The history of the English garden reveals more than expected about the past and its people. This series explores the theme of gardens as places of work, rest, and leisure.     In this talk historian Kate Felus explores the Georgians' relationship with gardens and pleasure. This talk was recorded live at Hampton Court Palace in 2015. For more information on the history and stories of our palaces vi...

The history of the English garden reveals more than expected about the past and its people. This series explores the theme of gardens as places of work, rest, and leisure.     In this talk Maze designer Adrien Fisher tells us about the trend of the maze both in history, and in culture today. This talk was recorded live at Hampton Court Palace in 2015. For more information on the history and storie...