The Royal Ghosts of Kensington Palace

Kensington Palace has been home to British royalty since 1689, when William III and Mary II purchased the Jacobean mansion and transformed it into a royal residence. Over three centuries, it has witnessed births, deaths, marriages, and the daily lives of monarchs and their courts. Today, it remains an active royal residence—home to the Prince and Princess of Wales—but it’s also home to spirits who refuse to leave.

The palace’s most famous ghost is King George II, who died suddenly in 1760 while waiting impatiently for news from his native Hanover. Staff and visitors have reported seeing an elderly figure in 18th-century dress standing at windows overlooking the palace gates, apparently still watching for messengers who will never arrive. His voice has allegedly been heard asking “Why don’t they come?” in frustrated tones echoing through the King’s Gallery.

Beyond George II, other phantoms have been witnessed throughout the centuries. Courtiers in elaborate period dress have been seen walking the State Apartments, only to vanish when approached. The ghost of a woman in a bloodstained nightgown has been reported in the rooms once occupied by Princess Sophia, daughter of George III who lived her entire life confined to the palace grounds. Strange music from harpsichords and spinets has been heard in locked, empty rooms, as if ghostly musicians are still performing for long-dead royalty. The palace’s combination of active royal residence and historical site creates a unique atmosphere where past and present seem to overlap.