Book description
The popular and “scrupulous historian” (Daily Mail, London) Gareth Russell presents five hundred years of British history—from King Henry VIII to Queen Elizabeth II—as seen through the doorways of the exquisite Hampton Court Palace.
Architecturally breathtaking and rich in splendid art and décor, Hampton Court Palace has been the stage…
Why read it?
1 author picked The Palace as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?
Hampton Court Palace is one of the iconic images of Tudor England but the story goes much further than that.
Gareth Russell tells us not only about the palace, but the fascinating and often tragic stories of the people who lived there, from Henry VIII to George II, and what happened when it ceased to be a royal residence. There are lavish banquets, political conspiracies, family breakdowns, and even ghosts.
There is a whole section on grace and favour tenants, including Grand Duchess Xenia the last Tsar’s sister. I was enthralled from start to finish and couldn’t put it down.
If you love The Palace...
These Blue Mountains
A moving story of love, betrayal, and the enduring power of hope in the face of darkness.
German pianist Hedda Schlagel's world collapsed when her fiancé, Fritz, vanished after being sent to an enemy alien camp in the United States during the Great War. Fifteen years later, in 1932, Hedda…
Want books like The Palace?
Our community of 13,000+ authors has personally recommended 57 books like The Palace.
Share your top 3 reads of 2025!
And get a beautiful page showing off your 3 favorite reads.
1,395
readers submitted
so far, will you?
📚 If you like The Palace, you might also like...
Need to Know
The authoritative but accessible history of the birth of modern American intelligence in World War II that treats not just one but all of the various disciplines: spies, codebreakers, saboteurs.
Told in a relatable style that focuses on actual people, it was a New Yorker "Best of 2022" selection and…
Tsunami
On the morning of December 26, 2004, an undersea earthquake struck off the coast of Sumatra in the Indian Ocean. The resulting tsunami killed an estimated 230,000 people across fourteen countries, from Indonesia to Sri Lanka to Thailand to the Maldives to India and all the way to East Africa.…
