The Grey Lady of Hampton Court

Hampton Court Palace, with its centuries of royal history, claims multiple ghosts, but the Grey Lady is among the most frequently reported and most historically traceable. She is believed to be Dame Sybil Penn, who served as nurse to King Edward VI and died in the palace in 1562. Her appearances reportedly increased dramatically after her tomb was disturbed in 1829.

Dame Sybil Penn

Sybil Penn served the Tudor court for decades, caring for the children of Henry VIII. She was particularly devoted to the sickly Prince Edward, who became King Edward VI at age nine. She contracted smallpox while nursing Elizabeth I through the disease and died in 1562, having served three Tudor monarchs.

She was buried in St. Mary’s Church, Hampton, with an elaborate tomb and effigy. For centuries, she rested undisturbed.

The Disturbance

In 1829, St. Mary’s Church was demolished for rebuilding. Dame Sybil’s tomb was moved, her remains disturbed, and her monument damaged. Almost immediately, reports of her ghost began at Hampton Court.

A strange whirring noise was heard in the southwest wing of the palace. When the wall was broken open to investigate, workers discovered a previously unknown chamber containing an antique spinning wheel. The sound, witnesses claimed, was the wheel in motion, operated by unseen hands.

From this point forward, the Grey Lady began to appear throughout the palace.

The Apparition

The Grey Lady appears as a tall, thin figure dressed in grey Tudor-era clothing, including a long grey robe and hood. Her face is sometimes visible as that of an elderly woman; other times she appears faceless or indistinct.

She has been seen most frequently in the southwest wing, near where the spinning wheel was discovered, but also in corridors, galleries, and the grounds. Some witnesses have reported hearing the whirring of a spinning wheel accompanying her appearances.

Notable Encounters

In the late nineteenth century, a sentry reported seeing a woman in grey emerge from a wall and glide across the grounds before vanishing. He was found unconscious at his post, apparently having fainted from fear.

Palace staff over the decades have reported encounters in private areas closed to the public. Cleaning staff have seen her walking through walls. Security guards have detected her on motion sensors in areas where no living person was present.

In 2003, CCTV footage captured what appeared to be a figure in period clothing opening a fire door in the palace. The footage, which became internationally famous, showed a robed figure with a pale face emerging from behind the door. Whether this was the Grey Lady, a prankster, or a technical glitch remains debated.

Other Hampton Court Ghosts

The Grey Lady shares Hampton Court with other reported spirits, including Catherine Howard, the fifth wife of Henry VIII, who was arrested at the palace and is said to run screaming through the Haunted Gallery. Jane Seymour, who died at Hampton Court after giving birth to Edward VI, is also reported.

The palace’s long, tragic history has left it with numerous ghostly traditions, but the Grey Lady remains the most consistently reported.

Assessment

The Grey Lady represents an unusual case where historical records allow identification of the alleged ghost and where a clear trigger—the disturbance of her tomb—marks the beginning of sightings. Whether Dame Sybil Penn’s spirit was genuinely disturbed by the desecration of her grave or whether the story of the disturbed tomb created an expectation that generated sightings is unknowable.

What is certain is that for nearly two centuries, something has been seen in the corridors of Hampton Court, a grey figure that walks where Sybil Penn once walked, perhaps still serving the Tudor children she devoted her life to protecting.