After Dark: Myths, Misdeeds & the Paranormal
Episode: Ghosts of Henry VIII's Palace
Date: December 25, 2025
Hosts: Anthony Delaney & Maddie Pelling
Guest: Dr. Tracy Borman OBE (Joint Chief Curator, Historic Royal Palaces)
Overview: Shadows in the Palace Corridors
In this atmospheric episode, Anthony, Maddie, and honorary palace ghost-whisperer Dr. Tracy Borman explore the legendary hauntings of Hampton Court Palace: the so-called Tudor "party house," most famously associated with Henry VIII. Through ghost stories, historical context, and personal experiences, the team investigates why this ancient seat brims with spectral tales and what these stories reveal about the lives—particularly the hidden lives—inside royal walls.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. Hampton Court Palace: History and Atmosphere
[04:33–07:02]
- Hampton Court is "one of the best preserved Tudor palaces in the world" but actually comprises two palaces: Cardinal Wolsey’s original Tudor masterpiece, and a "modern extension" from the late 1600s built for William and Mary.
- Tracy’s Office: Tracy reveals her workspace is “in the heart of Tudor Hampton Court… the nursery of Henry VIII's precious son, the future Edward VI" ([04:33] Tracy).
- Hampton Court is described as “one long party”—a vibrant place even today ([06:59] Maddie, [07:02] Tracy).
2. The Scream in the Haunted Gallery: Catherine Howard’s Ghost
[07:09–13:07]
- Catherine Howard (Henry's fifth wife) is the palace’s most famous ghost. After her adultery was discovered, she ran screaming along what is now called the Haunted Gallery, hoping to reach Henry and plead for her life.
- “She is said to have broken free of her guards and ran screaming along what today is called the Haunted Gallery, to reach Henry… But they caught her before she could reach the King and plead for her life.” ([10:13] Tracy)
- Recent historical research has confirmed that this dash was indeed possible, vindicating the legend’s authenticity ([12:09] Tracy).
- The Haunted Gallery sees the most reports of ghostly phenomena: feelings of cold, audible screams, faintings.
Notable Moment:
“The legend is that her agonised screams can still be heard along this stretch of the palace at certain times of the night.”
— Tracy Borman [10:13]
3. Ghost Stories and Historical Memory
[13:07–14:25]
- Ghost tales often preserve real historical traumas and serve as windows into the emotional lives of the past.
- The Victorian era amplified Hampton Court’s ghost legacy, trading in postcards hauntingly superimposed with spectres and cementing its spooky reputation for visitors.
"The Victorians loved the macabre... and really this became an important element of the visitor experience at Hampton Court."
— Tracy Borman [14:25]
4. A Curator’s Own Ghostly Encounter
[17:15–19:00]
- Tracy recounts experiencing a sudden, inexplicable temperature drop in the Haunted Gallery at night—something recorded by many ("like walking into a freezer").
- Security staff, unfamiliar with the history, often report sightings that align with the palace’s ghost lore, lending credibility to the stories.
5. The Grey Lady: Sybil Penn, Nurse to Princes
[22:23–28:13]
- The “Grey Lady” is believed to be Sybil Penn, wet nurse to Edward VI and servant to four Tudor monarchs, who died of smallpox after nursing Elizabeth I.
- Her tomb at St. Mary’s Church was disturbed in 1829; soon after, hauntings began: a spinning wheel’s sound, an old woman’s apparition.
- The story offers an intimate view into the world of royal caregivers—“effectively their family”—whose devotion rarely appears in history books.
"[Ghost stories] introduce us to characters that otherwise might have remained in the shadows... There are so many interesting stories to tell."
— Tracy Borman [28:58]
6. The Grace and Favour Apartments: Living History
[30:17–35:50]
- After royal use ceased, Hampton Court became divided into "Grace and Favour" apartments—retirement lodgings for aristocrats and ex-courtiers’ widows (e.g., Lady Emily Ponsonby).
- The idiosyncratic lives and complaints of these later residents (e.g., covering painted nudes on the walls) add yet another historical layer.
- Dealing with evolving architecture and stories—“it's not all that it appears” ([34:18] Tracy).
7. Modern Hauntings: The Skeletor CCTV Footage
[37:27–43:26]
- In 2003, CCTV captured a strange, cloaked figure slamming shut a palace door ("Skeletor"). Despite theories (costumed interpreter, prank), no explanation fits, as entry to that area requires special codes and no one has admitted a hoax.
- Dr. Borman admits: "Nobody has ever come up with a satisfactory explanation for who that might have been, if not a ghost." ([42:57] Tracy)
- Maddie and Tracy muse on how modern technology now creates the same kind of ghost storytelling as Victorian postcards.
8. Ghost Stories as Pathways Into the Past
[43:38–45:57]
- Anthony, Maddie, and Tracy agree that whether or not ghosts "exist," their stories open doors to lesser-known figures (e.g., Catherine Howard, Sybil Penn), shape our emotional connection to history, and foster curiosity about the ordinary people behind royal walls.
“The ghost stories are key to how we understand these histories. Whatever we think about the actuality of... these people revisiting.”
— Anthony Delaney [43:38]
9. Where Would You Haunt?
[44:53–46:18]
- Tracy: Would choose to haunt the corridors from the great kitchens to the great hall at Hampton Court: "It always feels like if you just turn around quickly enough, you'll see a member of the Tudor kitchen staff scuttling along… There's just something about that single stretch of the palace that gives me shivers down the spine."
- Anthony: Kensington Palace; Maddie: the Tower of London—"I would be doing graffiti as a ghost…" ([46:09] Maddie).
Memorable Quotes
-
On the emotional power of ghost stories:
“It’s a moment of intense emotion echoed and still haunting that space.”
— Maddie Pelling [13:07] -
On historical detective work:
“For so many years, I had to disappoint visitors… but then a discovery… Catherine absolutely could have made that journey and very likely did.”
— Tracy Borman [12:09]
Timestamps for Key Segments
- [03:37–07:02]: Introduction to guest and palace
- [07:09–13:07]: Catherine Howard’s story and ghost
- [14:25–17:07]: Victorian ghost lore; origins of stories
- [17:15–19:00]: Tracy’s personal ghost encounter
- [22:23–28:13]: The Grey Lady/Sybil Penn
- [30:17–35:50]: Grace & Favour residents; palace modifications
- [37:27–43:26]: The Skeletor (CCTV) haunting
- [44:53–46:18]: If you could haunt any historic royal palace...
Tone, Style & Final Thoughts
The episode blends scholarly rigor with lively humor and an eagerness to demystify ghost stories not simply as spooky nonsense, but as essential routes into untold and emotionally powerful history. Whether or not you believe in ghosts, say the hosts, Hampton Court’s haunted tales animate the past, fill gaps in the record, and transform mere bricks and mortar into a living, breathing chronicle—waiting for nightfall.
End Note:
Curious listeners are urged to visit Hampton Court (and look up "Skeletor" on YouTube), to discover for themselves if the spectral drama continues.