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Prince William and Princess Kate looking shocked in front of a red brick house

Haunted royal homes! King Charles 'terrifying' mansion, Princess Kate's ghost warning & more

Queen Camilla and Prince William's creepy encounters revealed

Nichola Murphy
Deputy Lifestyle Editor
November 23, 2024
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With a rich royal history, England is unsurprisingly home to some of the most haunted palaces and former royal homes in the world.

Paranormal historian Richard Felix is one of the experts in the field, and he said on the Amazon Prime documentary The King of UFOs that the royals are often aware they are living with ghosts.

"All of their properties have ghosts in them, and they know it and have witnessed it," he said.

We take a look at some of these encounters, including Sarah Ferguson's spooky mansion with Prince Andrew and King Charles' Christmas retreat that "terrified" him. Would you visit these homes knowing you weren't alone?

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Buckingham Palace with grey clouds overhead© COO7

Buckingham Palace

King Charles and Queen Camilla are set to move into Buckingham Palace in 2027, but they won't be the only ones to live in the sprawling 775-room residence.

Richard said on HELLO!’s A Right Royal Podcast that Buckingham Palace is believed to be haunted by a monk, which Charles was "not too happy about."

Richard explained: "Again, it’s haunted by the ghost of a monk… basically, Buckingham Palace was actually built on a site that belonged to the monks of Westminster Abbey. This monk, we don’t know what happened to him, but he’s seen with a cowl, in other words, his hood, wandering through the halls of Buckingham Palace."

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Norman gate of Windsor Castle© danieldep

Windsor Castle

As the largest occupied castle in the world, Windsor Castle has been home to several royals past and present, including Queen Elizabeth I who died in 1603 but whose presence remains known today.

According to Visit Britain, the late royal frequents the library, where her "footsteps can be heard on the bare floorboards before her striking presence appears". 

Meanwhile, King George III, who has been deceased since 1820, is also said to live on as a ghost at the castle. He has been spotted by witnesses looking out of the window where he was detained, according to BBC Berkshire.

If Charles and Camilla don't cross paths with Elizabeth or George, they still have a chance of hearing Henry VIII who "haunts the deanery cloisters, where his groans and dragging footsteps are heard."

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The Royal Lodge in black and white© Alamy

Royal Lodge

Prince Andrew signed a 75-year lease on Royal Lodge in Windsor following the Queen Mother's death in 2002. He now resides at the 10-bedroom property with his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson and his late mother Queen Elizabeth's two corgis, who may detect paranormal activity.

Sarah told PEOPLE that Muick and Sandy often "bark at nothing," leading her to wonder if the late monarch's ghost is "passing by."

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 Park House, Sandringham exterior© Getty

Sandringham House

Sandringham House has long been associated with the royals' Christmas break, but it isn't always a source of joy.

Staff reportedly refused to work in one of the downstairs bedrooms where George VI lived during the months before his death.

Royal biographer Kenneth Rose wrote: "Some of the servants had complained that the room was haunted and did not want to work in it. The person walked from room to room and did indeed feel some sort of restlessness in one of them."

Paranormal historian Richard told HELLO! that Charles was left "terrified" following a spooky encounter elsewhere in the property. He said: "Prince Charles was apparently terrified at Sandringham when he was again in the library at Sandringham, he and a footman were in there and followed around the library by a ghost!"

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William and Kate's Norfolk home, Anmer Hall

Anmer Hall

The main home is not the only property on the Sandringham estate that is said to be haunted. The Prince and Princess of Wales currently reside at Adelaide Cottage, but they also have a second home Anmer Hall in Norfolk which was a wedding gift from Queen Elizabeth II in 2011. 

Richard said of the 18th-century home, which underwent £1.5 million worth of refurbishments: "When the Prince and Princess of Wales moved into Anmer Hall, there was a ghost in there of a Catholic priest.

"He lived there and was hanged, drawn and quartered for high treason. Although he was executed in York, for some reason, he's returned.

"They've actually heard his voice and they have seen the ghost of what they say is a priest, wandering around Anmer Hall."

William and Kate were warned of his presence before moving in, but they brushed it off with a light-hearted joke. "The comment was, I presume from Prince William, he said, 'No old hall would be complete without a ghost, would it?'" said The Most Haunted TV star.

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Dumfries House© Getty Images

Dumfries House

Queen Camilla avoided Dumfries House in Scotland for several years while it underwent renovations.

Richard believes the property is haunted by the Marquess of Bute, who may have been retaliating over Charles' renovations. He said: "I speak to [a number of people who] ring me and say, ‘We bought this house and everything was fine until we started doing some work on the house’. A prime example of that is Dumfries House. 

"They had the most fantastic collection of Chippendale in that house and the King bought it when he was Prince Charles, he had it renovated, and apparently Queen Camilla would not go in the place."

Speaking in the documentary The Real Camilla, the royal explained: "I remember the first time I walked up the steps, got into the hall and I thought, 'I can't go any further.' I literally froze. 

"If my hair could stand on end, it would have done. I remember leaving and thinking I don't want to come back here again and I didn't for a few years."

However, she has since returned to the 18th-century house set on 2,000 acres and does not have the same feeling. "Whatever was there had disappeared. The whole thing seemed to be smiling again," she continued.

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Nether Lypiatt Manor with bare trees© Tim Graham

Nether Lypiatt Manor

Prince Michael of Kent is thought to have given up his former country mansion Nether Lypiatt Manor for financial reasons in 2006, but its long history has seen it plagued by ghostly tales.

It was built in 1698 by hanging Judge Cox, whose son reportedly hanged himself in one of the rooms. The ghosts of Cox's son and his stallion and blacksmith are said to haunt the property, although Princess Michael shut down any rumours that she has experienced them personally. 

"I have no doubt that many old houses have some kind of spirit presence or ghost and, if Nether Lypiatt Manor has such, he, she or it, must be benign and well disposed.

"We as a family, our guests and our pets have always felt a welcome from the house from the day we arrived, and have been extremely happy living here".

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Take a day trip to Hampton Court Palace

Hampton Court Palace

King Henry VIII's wives reportedly haunt Hampton Court Palace. Historic Royal Palaces claimed Jane Seymour, who died after giving birth at the palace in 1537, appears on her son's birthday, while Catherine Howard is said to be heard screaming in the hall – now known as the Haunted Gallery – following her execution at the Tower of London. 

The palace is also home to the ghost of former servant Sybil Penn, who served as a nurse to Edward VI and Queen Elizabeth I. After she died from smallpox, her spirit lived on as the "Grey Lady".

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