Although I’m not a ghosty or spooky person in the least, you really can’t avoid ghosts when you study royal history. Murdered family members? (Ahem, the Princes in the Tower…) Captured and tortured prisoners? Dedicated servants who remained dedicated? They all appear at various royal sites. And I thought that October would be the perfect time to chat about one of the most well-known royal ghosts in the UK: Katherine Howard. Henry VIII’s fifth wife, she met a tragic and violent end at a young age. Should we be shocked that Katherine Howard’s ghost is still haunting Hampton Court Palace today?
Who Was Katherine Howard?
Katherine Howard (also seen as Catherine Howard) was the fifth wife of Henry VIII. She married Henry as a teenager (probably at 17) in 1540. He was an obese, often angry, and tired 49 year old, and she was a young and vivacious woman who enjoyed merriment and entertainment. If you’ve seen Six the Musical, you will know her story- men took advantage of her throughout her life, including Henry. She grew close with a young courtier, Thomas Culpepper, while queen and Henry was anonymously told that Katherine was sleeping with him. She was stripped of the title of queen in 1541, and beheaded in 1542. And as you might expect, her spirit isn’t pleased.
Katherine Howard’s Ghost
Unsurprisingly, Katherine’s ghost is one of the most well-known royal ghosts. Her ghost is in the haunted gallery at Hampton Court Palace (named for her ghost), as she was arrested there. She escaped her guards and ran down the gallery to the Chapel Royal where Henry was praying. Her screams and pleas were to no avail, though, and she was obviously still beheaded. People are said to have experienced chills, strange sensations, and unexplained moving shadows in the gallery.
See my post on Hampton Court Palace here!
And you can enjoy K. Howard and the rest of the crew in Six the Musical!
Would you want to meet Katherine Howard’s ghost?
Cheers,
The Historian
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Poor Catherine Howard ,used for everyone else’s gain,badly educated,and over sexed; hers is a sad story.Similar to her cousin Anne Boleyn,she should have married Culpepper,and been happy. Marrying a 17 year old to a 40+year old man is pedophilia.