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 craftsmenship 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 exhibtion at Kensington Palace. For tickets to Crown to Couture go to: https://www.hrp.org.uk/kensington-palace/whats-on/crown-to-couture 

From Beyoncé to Billie Eilish, fashion is undeniably personal and political. But the legacy of harnessing fashion as a tool for power and representation goes back to the 18th 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 Carpet today.   This is the second episode in a series where we’re celebrating fashion, identity and the opening of our new exhibition at Kensington Palace called Crown to Couture.  For tickets to Crown to Couture at Kensington Palace go to:  https://www.hrp.org.uk/kensington-palace/whats-on/crown-to-couture/  

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 through getting ready in the 18th century, revealing how surprisingly, it’s not that different from how celebrities are styled and prepared for the Red Carpet today.   This is the first episode in a series where we’re celebrating fashion, identity and the opening of our new exhibition at Kensington Palace called Crown to Couture.  For tickets to Crown to Couture at Kensington Palace go to:  https://www.hrp.org.uk/kensington-palace/whats-on/crown-to-couture/  

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:  https://www.hrp.org.uk/tower-of-london/history-and-stories/coronations-past-and-present/ https://www.hrp.org.uk/tower-of-london/whats-on/coronation-bench-trail/ For the Crown Jewels go to: https://www.hrp.org.uk/tower-of-london/history-and-stories/the-crown-jewels/ 

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 a renaissance king. In the second part of this talk, Charles Farris will talk through the experimental archaeology project Portable Palace.  These live talks were recorded in 2018 in the run up to the 500th Anniversary of the Field of Cloth of Gold. For further reading on Charles and Aldon’s research, as well as more on tents! https://blog.hrp.org.uk/curators/portable-palaces-henry-viii-tents/ https://blog.hrp.org.uk/curators/portable-palaces-royal-tents-timber-lodgings/ https://blog.hrp.org.uk/curators/portable-palaces-field-cloth-gold-1520/ https://blog.hrp.org.uk/curators/a-tent-fit-for-a-king/