See Inside Three Iconic British Palaces Without Tourists, Thanks to the Pandemic

Rachel Wallace
·2 min read

The Tower of London, Hampton Court Palace, and Kensington Palace are staples on the itinerary of any tourist visiting the U.K. capital. Along with the three other palaces which are looked after by the Historic Royal Palaces organization, these sites typically welcome upwards of 4.5 million people per year, with the ever-popular Tower alone welcoming around 2 million.

This year of course, those numbers will be much smaller, as the palaces were forced to shut their doors in March due to the COVID-19 pandemic. But as is seemingly necessary with everything in 2020, PBS found the silver lining to the situation. The network took advantage of the empty buildings to film a new documentary called Royal Palace Secrets, which will air on Sunday September 13 at 7:30 E.T. In the film, Lucy Worsley, a royal historian and the chief curator of historic royal palaces, hosts tours of all three locations while sharing tales of the rich history behind each building.

Worsley on the stairs of Hampton Court Palace.
Worsley on the stairs of Hampton Court Palace.
Photo: Tom Hayward

The result is quite striking to anyone who has ever battled crowds at any of these landmarks. Walking into the Tower of London, which was built in the 1070s and used as a palace, a fortress, a prison, and many other things over the years, Worsley says, “To be all alone feels strange and really quite eerie.” She's not completely alone, though, and it is soon revealed that there are some Yeomen Warders—ceremonial guards also known as beefeaters—quarantining at the Tower, along with the legendary ravens they care for.

Worsley examines the dress Princess Diana infamously wore when she was photographed dancing with John Travolta at the White House.
Worsley examines the dress Princess Diana infamously wore when she was photographed dancing with John Travolta at the White House.
Photo: Tom Hayward
See the video.

Hampton Court is an ode to Henry VIII, where Worsley takes viewers inside the attic, onto the roof, and inside the storerooms of the royal ceremonial dress collection—areas not typically seen by visitors to the redbrick palace. Finally, at Kensington Palace (the current home of Prince William, Duchess Kate, and their children), Worsley shares some important modern history, examining a dress worn by Princess Diana.

Currently, Kensington and Hampton Court Palaces have reopened, and the Tower of London has partially reopened.

Originally Appeared on Architectural Digest