Historic Royal Palaces Podcast

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 them 500 years old, reveal the poignant stories of the Tower's Tudor Prisoners. 

See the Dudley graffito in HD on Google Arts and Culture
See the Abel graffito close up on Google Arts and Culture.

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 Gareth Russell for a private look at this amazing space, and explore Anne's turbulent story.  
See 'The Apotheosis of Queen Anne' ceiling painting on Google Arts and Culture

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 response, there is evidence suggesting that Hillsborough wanted to have Franklin arrested.
Remarkably, the two men found much to agree on at the castle – but would the cordial atmosphere last?
Almost 250 years on from the signing of the US Declaration of Independence, we've delved into the archive to find out.
Learn more about the State Dining Room on our website.

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 United States of America, and whether this matches what we know about his reign.
How much power did George have over the American colonies? Who is often left out of the story? And was he the 'tyrant' that he was made out to be? 
Learn more about George III on our website.

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, right on through to their more recent history.    

In this episode, Curator Matthew Storey is joined by Curator Holly Marsden, and Dr Kit Heyam. Together, they discuss some queer stories connected to our palaces, and what they can teach us about our past, and present. 

Explore more LGBTQ+ histories from our palaces on our website. 

Read Matthew's article about Kathleen Woodhouse.  

Read Molly McClain's article on Stuart women. 

Find Kit Heyam's books on their website. 

In this episode we use a range of different gender pronouns to discuss historical people, including those used in the original sources and those used by historians today. 

Content warnings: 
Homophobia, including the murder of queer people
Transphobia 
Non-consensual medical examination 
Suicide