The Bloody Ghost of St James’s Palace

St James’s Palace has been an official royal residence since 1536, built by Henry VIII on the site of a former leper hospital. While it ceased to be the monarch’s primary London residence when Queen Victoria moved to Buckingham Palace, it remains the senior royal palace and the location where new monarchs are proclaimed. Its long history includes births, marriages, and at least one unexplained death that continues to haunt its corridors.

The most notorious ghost is that of Ernest Augustus, Duke of Cumberland, or more specifically, the scene of violence associated with him. In 1810, the Duke’s valet, Cornelius Neale, was found with his throat cut in suspicious circumstances. The Duke himself bore wounds, claiming he’d been attacked by an intruder, but many suspected he had murdered his servant. Though never charged, rumors persisted throughout his life. Witnesses have reported seeing a figure matching the Duke’s description walking the corridors with a bloodstained axe, while others have heard terrible screaming and sounds of a violent struggle coming from empty rooms. The ghost appears most frequently in the area where Neale’s body was discovered.

Beyond the Duke’s phantom, guards stationed at the palace have reported other phenomena. The ghost of a man in Regency-era clothing has been seen ascending the grand staircase before vanishing at the landing. Unexplained footsteps echo through empty galleries, and doors lock and unlock themselves. Some staff refuse to walk certain corridors alone at night, particularly near the former apartments where the 1810 incident occurred. The palace remains an active working royal residence, but those who work there know they share the building with presences from a darker past.