Windsor Castle, Buckingham Palace and Sandringham are among the royal residences said to have some very unwelcome residents – and even the late Queen is reported to have encountered a ghost
With centuries of royal history behind their grand doors, Britain’s castles and palaces have witnessed everything from bloody executions and bitter family feuds to tragic deaths and mysterious disappearances. But according to long-standing ghost stories, some of their former residents may never have left.
From the ghost of Henry VIII reportedly roaming Windsor Castle to the spirit of a murdered queen screaming through the corridors of Hampton Court Palace, Britain’s royal residences have accumulated some particularly chilling tales.
Even the late Queen Elizabeth II was reportedly involved in an extraordinary incident at Sandringham House, where a religious service was held after staff complained that one bedroom was haunted.
And it seems the stories extend well beyond the homes of previous monarchs. Prince William and Princess Kate’s Norfolk country retreat, Anmer Hall, is also said to have a ghostly resident – although the future king reportedly took the news in his stride.
Here are the royal homes with some of the most intriguing ghost stories attached to them.
1. Windsor Castle: More than 25 reported ghost sightings
<text>Windsor Castle is frequently described as one of Britain’s most haunted royal residences, with more than 25 reported paranormal encounters over the years.</text>
The 11th-century fortress, which has been home to generations of monarchs, is said to be haunted by several former kings and queens, including Henry VIII, George III and Elizabeth I.
One of the most famous stories concerns Queen Elizabeth I, whose ghost is reportedly seen walking through the castle library. According to paranormal accounts, her footsteps can be heard on the bare floorboards before her apparition appears.
Henry VIII is said to haunt the Dean’s Cloister, where his ghost has reportedly been heard hobbling and groaning, while George III is believed to have appeared at a castle window.
.The late Queen Elizabeth II and Princess Margaret were both said to have encountered the spirit of Elizabeth I in the library, according to paranormal historian Richard Felix.
2. Sandringham House: The room that prompted a royal religious service
The royal family’s Norfolk retreat has one of its most extraordinary ghost stories, involving the late Queen Elizabeth II and the Queen Mother.
In 2000, a local pastor reportedly held a religious service in one of the downstairs bedrooms after staff complained that the room was haunted and refused to work there.
The bedroom had previously been used by King George VI during the final months of his life before his death in 1952.
The incident was later revealed in the diaries of society columnist Kenneth Rose, who recorded an account from Prue Penn, a lady-in-waiting to the Queen Mother.
Rose wrote: “Prue Penn [the Queen Mother’s lady-in-waiting] tells me that at Sandringham in the summer, the Queen invited her to attend a little service in one of its rooms conducted by the local parson. The only other person present was the Queen Mother.
“Some of the servants had complained that the room was haunted and did not want to work in it. The parson walked from room to room and did indeed feel some sort of restlessness in one of them. This the Queen Mother identified as a ground-floor room which had been turned into a bedroom for George VI during his last months.
“So the parson held a service there, not exactly of exorcism, which is the driving out of an evil spirit, but of bringing tranquillity. The congregation of three took Holy Communion, and special prayers were said, I think, for the repose of the King’s soul in the room in which he died.”
The story also claims that King Charles experienced something unsettling at Sandringham during the 1980s.
A courtier reportedly recalled: “Everyone believes there are ghosts because so many have experienced them, including Prince Charles. There are old parts of the house where nobody wants to go or be alone.”
Another source described an incident involving the future king and some paintings.
“After crying, ‘Oh heck!’, the Prince grabbed the first print and got out as quickly as he could. He was petrified. Reportedly there has been lots of incidents in the library.
“There is an old clock in there and the hands move by themselves. There is a smaller part of the library where a servant once had a kip, only to be woken by books flying from the shelves.”
Footman Shaun Croasdale also reportedly fled the cellar screaming in 1996 after believing he had seen the ghost of Tony Jarred, one of the late Queen’s favourite servants, who had died the previous year.
3. Hampton Court Palace: The ghost of Henry VIII’s terrified wife
Few royal residences have a history quite as bloody as Hampton Court Palace, and its ghost stories are every bit as dramatic.
Two of Henry VIII’s wives are said to haunt the historic building.
Jane Seymour, the King’s third wife, died at the palace in 1537, just days after giving birth to their son, the future Edward VI.
Her ghost is reportedly seen as a pale figure on the Silverstick Stairs, which lead towards the room where she died.
The second apparition is considerably more unsettling. Catherine Howard, Henry’s fifth wife, was executed for adultery in 1542, aged just 19.
According to legend, her ghost repeatedly relives the moment she was arrested, running through the corridors of the palace screaming for mercy.
The area is now known as the Haunted Gallery, and visitors have reported hearing unexplained screams and strange noises.
4. Buckingham Palace: The chained monk who walks the grounds
Even the monarch’s famous London residence is not without its ghost stories.
Buckingham Palace stands on land that was once occupied by a monastery, and one of its most persistent legends concerns a monk who is said to haunt the rear terrace.
The spirit reportedly appears wearing a brown robe, with chains binding him, and is believed to wander the grounds at night.
Another ghost said to haunt the palace is Major John Gwynne, private secretary to King Edward VII.
After becoming embroiled in a scandal following his divorce, Gwynne reportedly died by suicide in his palace quarters.
Staff have allegedly reported hearing a single gunshot coming from his former office, despite nobody being there.
5. Kensington Palace: The ghost of a king still waiting for news
Kensington Palace, once the London home of Prince William and Princess Kate, is also associated with several ghostly figures.
Among them is King George II, who died in 1760 while waiting for news of his troops fighting in the Seven Years’ War.
According to the story, he was looking out of a window when he uttered his final words: “Why don’t they come?”
Legend has it that his ghost continues to haunt the palace, repeating the question.
Other reported apparitions include Queen Mary II, Princess Sophia, Queen Victoria’s aunt, and Peter the Wild Boy, who was brought to Britain from Hanover in 1726 and lived at the royal court.
Princess Sophia is said to haunt the palace with the sound of her spinning wheel, while Peter is reportedly associated with the former royal nursery.
6. Balmoral Castle: Queen Victoria’s loyal companion
Balmoral Castle in Scotland has long been associated with Queen Victoria, and one of its most enduring ghost stories concerns her trusted servant John Brown.
Brown was a close companion of the Queen, with persistent rumours suggesting their relationship was more than professional.
Following his death in 1883, stories emerged that his spirit continued to wander the castle corridors.
He is reportedly seen wearing his traditional Highland kilt, making him one of the most recognisable figures in the royal family’s collection of ghost stories.
The castle remains an important royal retreat, traditionally associated with the family’s summer stays in Scotland.
7. Anmer Hall: The ghost at William and Kate’s country home
Prince William and Princess Kate’s Norfolk home is also said to have an unexpected resident.
Anmer Hall is reportedly haunted by Henry Walpole, a Catholic priest who was tortured and executed at the Tower of London in 1595.
Walpole was born into a family associated with the Norfolk estate, and paranormal accounts claim his spirit returned to the property after his death.
Speaking on Hello!’s A Right Royal Podcast, paranormal historian Richard Felix explained that the Waleses were warned about the ghost before moving in.
He recalled: “Before the Waleses moved in, they were warned about the ghost, and the comment was, I presume it was from Prince William, he said, ‘No old hall would be complete without a ghost, would it?'”
If the story is true, it seems the future king is rather less concerned about supernatural housemates than some of his predecessors.
8. The Tower of London: Anne Boleyn’s final appearance
Although it is not a royal residence today, the Tower of London has been the setting for some of the monarchy’s most disturbing moments – and is said to be haunted by several of its former prisoners.
Its most famous ghost is Anne Boleyn, the second wife of Henry VIII, who was executed on Tower Green in 1536.
Her spirit is reportedly seen wandering the grounds, sometimes described as carrying her severed head.
One particularly chilling account dates back to 1864, when a guard allegedly encountered a ghostly white female figure near the execution site.
According to the story, he attempted to attack the apparition with his bayonet, only for the weapon to pass straight through it. The guard reportedly fainted.
The two young princes, Edward V and Richard of Shrewsbury, who disappeared in the Tower in 1483, are also said to haunt the fortress. Their ghosts are reportedly seen as two young boys dressed in medieval clothing.
9. Palace of Holyroodhouse: The murdered courtier
Edinburgh’s Palace of Holyroodhouse, the monarch’s official Scottish residence, has its own particularly gruesome history.
In 1566, Mary, Queen of Scots, was at the palace when her Italian secretary, David Rizzio, was murdered by a group of men led by her husband, Lord Darnley.
The Queen, who was seven months pregnant at the time, was reportedly forced to witness the attack.
Lord Darnley himself later died following a mysterious explosion, and his death has long been surrounded by speculation.
His ghost is said to haunt the rooms where he once lived.
10. St James’s Palace: The royal servant who died mysteriously
Built by Henry VIII in the 1530s, St James’s Palace served as the principal residence of British monarchs for around 300 years.
One of its ghost stories concerns Joseph Sellis, a royal valet who died in 1810.
Sellis was reportedly found dead with his throat cut, and his death was surrounded by controversy.
According to legend, his ghost still appears within the palace, with witnesses describing an apparition with a visible wound to the throat.
With so many centuries of royal history, tragedy and intrigue behind its walls, perhaps it is little wonder that Britain’s historic palaces have accumulated so many supernatural stories.
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