From Prince William and Kate’s haunted London apartment to the queen mother’s terrifying childhood home: 5 haunted UK castles and palaces to look up this Halloween

Oct 28 , 2020

The appropriately named Chillingham Castle in Northumberland. Photo: @chillingham_castle/Instagram

Love Netflix’s The Haunting of Hill House? Britain’s historic buildings are some of the most terrifying on earth – think murderous court jesters, beheaded queens and wronged servants – dare you visit them in person?

Ghost stories always hijack our imagination because, let’s be honest, there is nothing quite like a scary story – or, even better, a haunted castle or mansion – to get our hearts pumping.

If you’re a fan of Netflix’s The Haunting of Bly Manor or The Haunting of Hill House then you’ll love this list of Britain’s famous haunted palaces and castles that you can also actually visit. Here are our top five planner’s picks for a spine-chilling experience – just in time for Halloween.

Kensington Palace

Famously home to the late Princess Diana and the queen’s sister Princess Margaret, Kensington Palace is also where William and Kate stay when they’re in London with Prince Louis, Prince George and Princess Charlotte. Prince Harry stayed here before he got married, as did Princess Eugenie and her husband, and several of the queen’s cousins and their families too.

Built in 1605, it’s not surprising there are said to be a few ghosts stalking the palace’s halls. One such ghost is said to be that of King George II, who died here in 1760. His spirit is believed to have stuck around, and can occasionally be heard crying out, “Why don’t they come?” – thought to be his final words as he awaited news from Hanoverian troops during the Seven Years’ War.

Also during King George’s time, a man named Peter was found walking the narrow hallways of the palace. Peter had a rare disease that caused facial abnormalities and it is said that since Peter’s death, he has haunted the King’s staircase. But nothing says “scary” more than a haunted children’s nursery, and Prince Louis’ nursery is said to be the place most regularly haunted by Peter.

In fact, according to royal biographer Andrew Morton, William and Kate’s section of the palace (known as Apartment 1A) is the most “notorious spot for ghost sightings” of all.

London’s Kensington palace, where, if you’re unlucky, you may bump into “Peter”. Photo: Handout

Queen Victoria was born in Kensington Palace and, as a young girl, grew up in its hallways alongside her aunt, Princess Sophia. As Princess Sophia lived out her final days in the palace, she became fond of using a spinning wheel, which she spun until she went blind. She died in 1848.