Royal Palaces

The Palace of Whitehall, like Hampton Court Palace, had once belonged to Cardinal Thomas Wolsey. King Henry VIII seized it when the cardinal fell out of favour and transformed it into a magnificent royal residence. By the time of Henry's death it was one of the largest palaces in Europe.

Queen Elizabeth stayed at Whitehall Palace more than any other palace. Not only did its size make housing the royal court easier, but it was close to the Palace of Westminster, where parliament and the law courts sat. The Queen spent many Christmases at Whitehall Palace. In 1581, to entertain the French during her marriage negotiations with Francis, Duke of Alencon, the Queen added a banqueting house to the palace. This banqueting house was only meant to be temporary but remained in use until the reign of King James I.

Sadly, most of the palace was lost in a fire in 1698, but King Henry VIII's wine cellar survived and still exists today. The present Banqueting House, built by Inigo Jones in 1622, stands on the site of Queen Elizabeth's original.