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If walls could talk, I wonder if Hampton Court Palace would scream or sing.
For its walls conceal memories of both the joyful and tragic events that occurred within. From romance to religion to revelations, Hampton Court Palace has solidified itself as one of the most important buildings in British history not just because of its role in some of history's most important events but for the impressive list of improvements and work the building has undergone since the time of the Wars of the Roses.
In this remarkably immersive and brilliantly researched novel, Gareth Russell elegantly gives a splendid account of the history of Hampton Court Palace through the vast diversity of people privileged to walk through its halls and stay in its rooms.
We are first introduced to an account of the late Queen Elizabeth II's ball at Hampton Court in 1953 a few days ahead of her coronation where Gareth intricately, yet not confusingly, details the importance of the night and the people in attendance. We learn more about the late Queen's relationships with her mother, husband and younger sister, Princess Margaret, before we are swiftly whisked back in time to the Tudor era.
The Tudors - Terror, Treason and Tantalizing Tales of Scandal
One of the many engaging aspects of Gareth Russell's writing is that throughout this novel, and many of his others most notably Do Let’s Have Another Drink: The Singular Wit and Double Measures of Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, is his ability to mix detailing the history of the palace itself whilst providing context on the important figures who graced the palace with its presence. As a keen history lover, most of the information that Gareth provided for figures such as Thomas Wolsey, Henry VIII and his six wives and so on. However, there was information spoken of within the book that I was either not quite familiar on due to it either being unconfirmed rumors or theories, or rather it was brand new information altogether. The ability to write about historical figures and topics that have been written about hundreds and hundreds of times yet still present the reader with new details in an engaging manner is quite a difficult accomplishment to achieve and yet Gareth so easily does it in this novel.
Whilst some might argue that there isn't enough in-depth descriptions of the many rooms of Hampton Court Palace during the Tudor era, I quite enjoyed the mix of describing the building's intricate design and the encounters that took place in the room(s) being discussed. As much as we all would love to learn more about what Hampton Court Palace looked like when influential women such as Queen Anne Boleyn or Queen Jane Seymour or Queen Elizabeth I resided, too much of a focus on the architectural history rather than the overall history of Hampton Court would surely make the book a rather long and boring one in comparison to the light-hearted and amusing one in my hands right now. Not having much architectural knowledge myself, I was thrilled that I wouldn't have to worry about researching architectural terms during reading that might affect my overall enjoyment of the book.
There are three figures in this novel that I feel are quite overly judged by history lovers in the sense that these women have been demeaned or negatively described without cause over the years, however, Gareth treats them with the respect and non-bias that they deserve. These women were; Queen Jane Seymour who is often referred to as Henry's most unattractive or boring wife, Lady Margaret Douglas who is mostly known for her scandalous relationships with two relations of Queen Anne Boleyn, and Queen Mary I who is cruelly and undeservedly referred to by the nickname 'Bloody Mary'. In this novel, Gareth recalls events that include all three of these women, although not all at the same time, and describes them in a more respectful and human way by providing reasoning behind why these women were thought or spoken about in such negative ways to help the reader understand the truth behind these women's lives.
Especially since it has only been in recent years that Queen Mary I has been spoken about in such a decent and positive way. Although he does make reference to Queen Mary I being referred to as Bloody Mary, he does justify that, though Mary's executions of Protestants during her reign was not nearly as bloody as that of her father or brother or even younger sister Elizabeth, 'however, it is not true that Mary I's executions paled in comparison to those being inflicted in Europe. Even in the context of the sixteenth century, Mary's was an extensive policy.'
One of my favorite elements of the Tudor focused chapters was the mention of the alleged hauntings of Hampton Court Palace as I never thought there would be so many...it almost has the same amount as the Tower of London when you think about it!
The ghost of Queen Katheryn Howard running through the halls to reach her now cold and distant husband is one that we all know quite well. However I did not know the difficulty and almost impossibility of Katheryn having actually done this, as Gareth quickly explains how Katheryn's rooms within the palace and the supposed route she took to reach her husband was quite a difficult one, albeit impossible, for her to do with trained guards on her heels. Additionally, don't laugh but I had the ghost of The Grey Lady being that of Lady Jane Grey for some odd reason considering that she died at the Tower of London but it was intriguing to learn the identity of the real Grey Lady and why her ghost supposedly haunts this magnificent palace.
And then... we enter the unfamiliar, for me at least as I am not particularly knowledge of, the intense era of the Stuarts.
The Stuarts - Politics, Plague and Parties
I will admit that, despite my deep love of history, my knowledge of anything other than the Ancient Greeks, the Tudor era and the Victorian era is pretty lacking. So, I entered the section of the House of the Stuarts with high expectations of being entertained by the tales of a colorful cast of characters and boy, Gareth Russell did not let me down. From learning of the alarming amount of work Hampton Court underwent to its tragic, eventual lack of proper care after the Dissolution of the Monarchy, there was also so many facts that I cannot get out of my brain.
James I's obsession with witchcraft and magic to the point where he was convinced that his wife's troubles at sea were at the hands of witches and even his claim that his mother's death had been foreseen by soothsayers (and yet he was so concerned that he did nothing to prevent it). James' ability to completely conceal his true personality and his religious beliefs is something I found fascinating as it is rare to see that in a monarch, even by today's standards. His wife, Queen Anne practically destroying Elizabeth I's dress to be used as props during a party or the fact that she had an alliance with one of her husband's lovers, George Villiers as wives and mistresses seldom got along never-mind allied with one another. These two sure did bring a uniqueness to the large collection of English monarchs.
Of course, it would be wrong to discuss the House of the Stuarts without discussing its arguably most famous monarch; Charles II. I already had some idea of what Charles II's reign and life was like from some of my earlier reading, almost everyone knows how much of a womanizer Charles II was if it wasn't already obvious by the fact that he had many, many mistresses and recognized almost a dozen of his illegitimate children. What I did not know is how tragically his wife, Catherine of Braganza, suffered trying to get her husband a legitimate child or how his most hated mistress acted almost as if she was above the Queen or even how passionately he refused to divorce her even when his council requested it. It really shows that we do not know everything that went on in these monarchs' lives and honestly, from reading this section, Gareth Russell has ignited a fire in me to learn more about the Stuart era, especially about the first ever co-monarchs, King William III and Queen Mary II, as well as Queen Anne Stuart, the last Stuart monarch.
Hampton Court Palace had already seen enough changes being made to its original architecture but, sadly, this wasn't the end as the House of Hanover soon took over the throne of England and you can believe me when I say that when I saw the word 'chocolate', it made me read on with hunger!
The Hanovers - Empires, Entertainment and Equality
When was someone going to tell me that, firstly, Hampton Court Palace had Chocolate Kitchens, and secondly, chocolate was originally drunk rather than eaten effectively meaning that hot chocolate is the original favourite snack of choice.
Whilst the chapters on the House of Hanover were the shortest of the dynasties mentioned, Gareth Russell makes up for it with the amusing nature of which he documents the lives of the monarchs, courtiers and servants who stayed there. Arguably, the chapter focusing on the reign of Queen Victoria was my favourite out of this section. Nothing Queen Victoria did in life was short of entertaining, emotive and unapologetic. There is a reason that she is remembered as one of England's greatest monarchs and her time at Hampton Court adds more to her fascinating life.
The Windsors - Dignity, Divorce and Devotion
In the book's final section, we reach the ruling dynasty of the Windsors and, to be completely honest, I have never been much interested in learning about the monarchs of the present as much as I have of the past. Primarily because, in comparison to the monarchs who came before them, their roles are drastically reduced now. Regardless, I have always admired the strength, devotion and resilience that the Royal Family have shown towards their royal duties and dealing with a society that heavily criticizes them for the smallest of things and a generation of irritatingly invasive paparazzi.
Although I will say that I absolutely love the unapologetically humorous nature of Her Royal Highness Anne, The Princess Royal, and the kind-hearted and graceful nature of Her Royal Highness Catherine, The Princess of Wales. Those women are truly hard-working inspiring ladies who exhibit the true gracefulness and devotion to being a member of the royal family, in my humble opinion.
Learning of how much the time and passion the Royal Family has shown to historic palaces such as Hampton Court Palace and I can only hope that both their love as well as the general public's love for Hampton Court Palace remains the same because it is truly a beautiful building and I hope I have the chance to visit this absolutely wonderful building in the near future.
If you are looking for a read that will leave you sad to finish it and laughing hysterically at some of the witty humor and downright scandalous facts that Gareth delights us with, I implore you all to run to your nearest bookstore and pick up a copy of The Palace: From the Tudors to the Windsors, 500 Years of History at Hampton Court by Gareth Russell!
Until next time!
- Have a ‘Tudor-fic’ week!
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