Welcome to the Royal Gallery of Ghosts.
Here you will find the faces of the most prolific and well known royal ghosts of the British Isles.
You can discover a little more about the lives of these spirits and where they like to haunt.
The Royal Gallery of Ghosts
EDWARD V & RICHARD DUKE OF YORK
Who was he: Edward V was King of England aged 12, for only two months. Richard was his younger brother.
Born: E: 2 November 1470. R: 17 August 1473.
Location: E: Westminster, London. R: Shrewsbury.
Died: Circa 1483.
Location: Tower of London.
Cause of Death: Believed to have been murdered. Bones of 2 young boys were found at the foot of the staircase in the Bloody Tower in 1674.
Buried: After the bones were discovered, they were interred in Westminster Abbey on orders from Charles II.
Where do they haunt:
• They boys are believed to haunt the Tower of London. They have been seen in the Bloody Tower wearing white gowns and holding hands. People also report seeing them looking out from windows.
QUEEN ELIZABETH I
Who was she: The daughter of King Henry VIII and his 2nd wife Anne Boleyn. She was Queen of England for 44 years, 1558-1603.
Born: 7th September 1533.
Location: Palace of Placentia, Greenwich, London.
Died: 24th March 1603.
Location: Richmond Palace, Surrey.
Cause of Death: Sickness and old age.
Buried: Westminster Abbey, London.
Where does she haunt:
• Windsor Castle, apparently seen frequently by George III as well as being witnesses by Edward VII, George IV, Elizabeth II and her sister Margaret.
MARY QUEEN OF SCOTS
Who was she: She was wife to King James V of Scotland and the mother of King James VI. She was also Queen Elizabeth I’s cousin once removed.
Born: 8th December 1542
Location: Linlithgow Palace, Linlithgow, Scotland.
Died: 8th February 1587
Location: Fotheringhay Castle
Cause of Death: Beheaded on charges of treason.
Buried: Peterborough Cathedral. Her bodied was exhumed in 1612 and moved to Westminster Abbey.
Where does she haunt:
• The Talbot Hotel, Oundle, Northamptonshire.
• Tutbury Castle, Derbyshire.
• Stirling Castle, Scotland.
• Borthwick Castle, Midlothian, Scotland.
• Craignethan Castle, Lanark, Scotland.
KING GEORGE III
Who was he: King of Great Britain and King of Ireland.
Born: 4th June 1738.
Location: Norfolk House, Westminster, London.
Died: 29th January 1820.
Location: Windsor Castle, Berkshire.
Cause of Death: Old age and illness.
Buried: St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle, Berkshire.
Where does he haunt:
• Windsor Castle. George was confined here several times during bouts of madness.
ANNE BOLEYN
Who was she: Anne was the second wife to King Henry VIII and the mother of Queen Elizabeth I.
Born: 1501
Location: It is believed she was born at Blickling Hall, Norfolk.
Died: 19th May 1536
Location: The Tower Of London
Cause of Death: Beheaded by sword for adultery.
Buried: Chapel of St Peter ad Vincula, Tower of London.
Where does she haunt:
• Blickling Hall in Norfolk. Anne is said to approach the hall in a horse drawn carriage carrying her chopped off head in her lap!
• Tower of London inc. the Chapel of St Peter ad Vincula.
KING HENRY VIII
Who was he: King of England 1509 – 1547. Self appointed Supreme Head of the Church of England.
Born: 28th June 1491.
Location: Palace of Placentia, Greenwich, London.
Died: 28th January 1547.
Location: Palace of Whitehall, London.
Cause of Death: Ill health due to obesity.
Buried: St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle, Berkshire.
Where does he haunt:
• Windsor Castle – seen pacing furiously and shouting loudly.
CATHERINE HOWARD
Who was she: King Henry VIII’s 5th wife and Queen of England from 1540-1541.
Born: 1523
Location: Lambeth, London.
Died: 13th February 1542
Location: The Tower Of London
Cause of Death: Beheaded by executioner’s axe for adultery.
Buried: The Chapel of St Peter ad Vincula, Tower of London.
Where does she haunt:
• The ‘Haunted Gallery’ at Hampton Court Palace, screaming for mercy.
LADY JANE GREY
Who was she: Queen of England for nine days, 10th July – 19th July 1553. She was also the great-granddaughter of King Henry VII.
Born: October 1537.
Location: Bradgate Park, Leicestershire.
Died: 12th February 1554.
Location: Tower of London.
Cause of Death: Beheaded for high treason when the Privy Council decided to favour Jane’s half sister Mary as queen.
Buried: Chapel of St Peter ad Vincula, Tower of London.
Where does she haunt:
• Tower of London.
• Bradgate Park, Leicestershire.
QUEEN VICTORIA
Who was she: She was Queen of England from 1837-1901, making her the longest reigning British monarch.
Born: 24th may 1819.
Location: Kensington Palace, London.
Died: 22nd January 1901.
Location: Osbourne House, East Cowes, Isle of Wight.
Cause of Death: Old age.
Buried: Frogmore Estate, Berkshire.
Where does she haunt:
• Windsor Castle – King Edward III’s married lover, Ms Simpson, ordered workmen to remove some spruce trees from the castle grounds. These trees were planted by Prince Albert, Victoria’s husband. The workmen are said to have been scared away by the ghost of Victoria, waving her arms and moaning. The trees remained.