Tracy Borman opens our new series on the Queens Consort of Henry VIII with renowned historian Dr Elizabeth Norton. To better understand the six Queens, they first explore the context of the turbulent times in which these women lived.  

As the first Queen of Henry VIII, Katherine of Aragon’s reputation as the dowdy wronged wife has endured for 500 years, but Tracy and Elizabeth call this into question. They reveal that Katherine’s iron-will was both her strength and arguably her undoing.  

Please be aware that this episode contains references to miscarriages, still births and infant mortality.  

This six-part series will aim to do The Six Tudor Queens justice by stripping away unhelpful narratives and myths, to better understand them as women in their own time.  

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 we talk about them now. To get a sense of the context in which they lived, we’ll be stepping into the parts of our palaces where they would have walked, in a court that was both exciting and toxic in its temperament.    

Tracy will explore all this with a stellar cast of historians, all experts on the Queens. So join us next Thursday, and every two weeks after that, as we dive into the world of The Six Tudor Queens.   

In this week’s episode, exhibition lead Zakira Begum and Community Curators Rav Singh and Dr Tej Pal Singh Ralmill explore the impact of the World Wars on the Indian Army, how they moved the Indian Subcontinent towards independence from the British Empire, and ultimately how the legacy of this history is still relevant today.  

This is the second of two episodes where we’re celebrating the opening of our new exhibition at Hampton Court Palace called The Indian Army at the Palace.  For tickets go to: www.hrp.org.uk/hampton-court-palace/whats-on/the-indian-army-at-the-palace 

Please be aware that this episode contains themes of scientific race theories. 

In the early 20th century soldiers 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, Exhibition Lead Zakira Begum and Community Curators Rav Singh and Dr Tej Pal Singh Ralmill cover the background and context of the British Empire and the Indian Army, unpicking how the two are connected through the rise of the East India Company, to the birth of the British Raj in India.  

This is the first of two episodes where we’re celebrating the opening of our new exhibition at Hampton Court Palace called The Indian Army at the Palace. For tickets go to: www.hrp.org.uk/hampton-court-palace/whats-on/the-indian-army-at-the-palace  

Please be aware that this episode contains themes of scientific race theories. 

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 Royal.   

Tucked away for 400 years, this jigsaw puzzle of a space reveals a lot about the history of this extraordinary palace, as well as its mysteries.  

If you want to see this space when visiting Hampton Court Palace, it is on the Georgian Story route. Our Palace Hosts are easy to spot in red coats and will be able to direct you.  

This week marks the penultimate episode in our six-part mini-series on special places in our palaces. We’re following Curator 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 meaning of home. 

If you’d like to find out more on visiting Kew Palace go to: https://www.hrp.org.uk/kew-palace/visit 

To learn more about the lives of Queen Charlotte and George III go to: https://www.hrp.org.uk/kew-palace/history-and-stories  

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, go to:  

https://www.hrp.org.uk/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 into the 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, but there is so much more to this community place of worship. Alfred reveals that the myths of history can be just as important as the truth.  

To find out more on the Chapel of St Peter Ad Vincula go to:  

www.hrp.org.uk/tower-of-london/whats-on/chapel-royal-of-st-peter-ad-vincula  

Watch our mini documentary on the Downfall of Anne Boleyn: 

Anne Boleyn | The Downfall and Execution of a Tudor Queen 

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 follow 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, and how they really do hold relevance for today. 

If you would like to find out more or visit the Royal Ceremonial Dress Collection, go to:   

www.hrp.org.uk/about-us/conservation-and-collections/royal-ceremonial-dress-collection  

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 Guy Fawkes.

Please be aware that this episode contains themes of torture, death and execution, which some listeners may find upsetting. 

For more on the Gunpowder plot you can listen to our previous episodes on the plot from November 2022, or visit: 

https://www.hrp.org.uk/tower-of-london/history-and-stories/guy-fawkes-and-the-gunpowder-plot