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The doors to the beautiful Orangery at Kensington Palace will re-open to visitors this spring. Once a party house for Queen Anne, your clients will again be able to experience the glamour and sophistication of this unique building. Admire the intricate carvings whilst enjoying a spot of Afternoon Tea. When the weather is fine, groups can relax in the tranquil surroundings from the newly created terrace.

New for 2024! Groups to Hampton Court Palace can experience our Queen Charlotte Afternoon Tea picnic box. Inspired by the hit Netflix show Bridgerton, your clients will be able to enjoy the palace gardens while tucking into an elegant Afternoon Tea. Featuring The Duchess’s Finger Sandwiches, Farmer George’s Pork Pie and The Ton’s Scones, this offering is perfect for those wishing to have a little slice of luxury during their visit or take a little bit of Bridgerton back home with them. Combine this experience with our new film audio guide, featuring exclusive interviews from the creators of the Netflix sensation.

IMMERSE YOUR CLIENTS IN HISTORY

Visitors to the Tower of London will meet five ‘Trailblazer’ women who made their mark on the Towers’ past from 1 July – 01 September. Fourteen ghosts will be returning to the iconic palace from 26 October – 03 November for Halloween and your clients can get into the Christmas spirit from 27-31 December as the Tower is adorned with themed decorations.

Discover how Hampton Court Palace residents navigated the ‘Changing Times’ in Tudor England, from exploration and scientific discoveries to innovations in technology and new fashions from 04 May – 19 July. Listen to the palaces ‘Unheard

Voices’ as their stories are told through a selection of live performances from 27 July – 31 August and from 26 October – 03 November, twelve ghosts will be returning to the palace to haunt visitors walking in their footsteps for a spooktacular Halloween.

Groups will be able to discover what it took to navigate through the gossip and intrigues of court life at Kensington Palace from 21 July – 31 August and ‘Life Through A Royal Lens’ will be back on display at Hillsborough Castle and Gardens from 09 March – 27 October. Venture through the Walled Garden and get up close and personal with haunting scarecrows in November and our Christmas offering will be back as the State Rooms and gardens are transformed in Christmas splendour.

NEW RETAIL OFFERS

Taking a little bit of history home is an integral part of the visitor experience.

From May 2024, your clients will be able to explore the exciting new product ranges available at the Tower of London and Kensington Palace exclusively.

Our new souvenir range at the Tower of London draws on the unique features and stories of the iconic fortress, including the ancient White Tower, Yeoman Warders and ravens. From tankards to tote bags, every visitor will be able to select a little memento of their visit!

At Kensington Palace, an elegant new product range, taking inspiration from the famous Golden Gates, will be available within the palace shop. Featuring a stunning range of chinaware, glass and home textiles, be sure to add a little time onto your
itinerary for some retail therapy!

If your clients do not have enough room in their suitcase, all ranges will be available from our online shop, www.historicroyalpalaces.com.

TALES OLD AND NEW

From April 2024, Victoria: A Royal Childhood – the childhood rooms of Queen Victoria – will showcase more objects and stories from the life of the young queen-in-waiting.

Discover the Princess’s love of reading and her passion for the arts through a selection of Victoria’s books and playbills for ballet and opera performances she attended.

View the spectacular Privy Council dress, worn on the first day of Queen Victoria’s reign and examine the set of orders and medals awarded to the infamous Sir John Conroy on his dismissal from Victoria’s household following her accession.

WOLSEY ROOMS REOPENING
From May 2024, your clients will be able to explore a stunning new display that will introduce them to the transformative age of Henry VIII’s early reign, set within the newly reopened Wolsey Rooms at Hampton Court Palace. Revealed through original artworks and historic objects – including famous ‘History paintings’ like The Field of Cloth of Gold – your clients will discover the people of the Tudor court: soldiers in Henry’s army, the crafts men who made his palaces, and the influence of the wider world. Alongside four surviving history paintings, visitors will see portraits of European Kings and Queens, sailors and soldiers, musicians and jousters, and displays of rare surviving artefacts from the Tudor era. The Wolsey Rooms and the Tudor display will be included in admission to Hampton Court Palace.
The rooms will be permanently open to the public and included in palace admission. Email groupsandtraveltrade@hrp.org.uk for further information.

ACERS, IN AUTUMN, GROUNDBREAKING…

Spring may be renowned for its ability to turn gardens into technicolour splendour, but just as much beauty can be found in Autumn and Wintertime.

At Hampton Court Palace, the gardens are awash with vibrant autumn leaf colour and some late flowering perennials add a splash of colour to the herbaceous borders. In the depths of winter, the palace gardens reveal more of its underlying structure and form, seen in the famous mushroom shaped yews on the East Front and the topiary cones and hedging in the Privy Garden.
Meanwhile autumn at Hillsborough Castle brings apple trees laden with fruit, the walled garden adorned with produce and the herbaceous borders deep reds and oranges. In the winter, groups can appreciate the features in the garden, including Lady Alice’s Temple and watch the wildfowl on the ponds and lake. There are also many highly scented plants in the grounds, so clients can be led round the 100-acre garden by their nose! Email groupsandtraveltrade@hrp.org.uk to book your palace garden tour.

DISCOVER THE PEOPLE THAT POWERED THE PALACE
‘Untold Lives: A Palace at Work’, highlights the stories of the servants and courtiers who worked, often behind-the-scenes, to maintain, protect and promote the monarch and the royal palaces.

Discover the breath and diversity of the roles required to keep the palace running, from the rat-killer with their own rat-embroidered uniform, to the ‘Groom of the Stool’.
The varying backgrounds of these servants will also be explored, with a range of portraits and objects highlighting the presence of Black and Asian royal servants and attendants at court. This exploration will also expose the hierarchies and inequalities within the palaces of the time, including the story of ‘Peter the Wild Boy’ who became famous as the subject of intense scientific and public interest.

‘Untold Lives: A Palace at Work’ will be included in palace admission and will run from 14 March – 29 October 2024.