Secrets of the Royal Bedchamber

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by Bryony Harrison (subscribe)

Freelance writer and poet from London; if you would like to read my poetry, please check out my book, 'Poems on the Page', available from goo.gl/Ta4oAX.

Event: 27/03/2013 - 03/11/2013

What went on under the covers?

You know what happens to the birds and the bees in spring time. They get twitterpatted. Well, apparently they are not the only ones. During Hampton Court's spring/summer adult learning programme, they are delivering several talks, lectures, and workshops, including lessons about the promiscuous goings on at the palace. Between 27th March – 3rd November 2013, Hampton Court's new exhibition,
Secrets Of The Royal Bedchamber, will provide intrigue, drama and surprise as it presents six magnificent 17th and 18th century royal beds, and the stories behind them. Learn about bizarre bedchamber rituals, unusual sleeping arrangements, and discover the place where heirs were born, marriages were consummated, and monarchs were struck down. There will also be a rare opportunity to see
John Vanbrugh's Prince of Wales's Apartments, which is being opened to the public for the first time in 20 years.

Access to the exhibition is included with the price of admission, which is £16.50 for adults and £8.25 for children.

As part of the exhibition, there will be a study afternoon on the 4th April between 2pm-4.30pm. Curators, Sebastian Edwards and Polly Putnam will discuss the rituals, relationships, power and politics that played out in the royal bedchamber during the Stuart and Hanoverian courts. Tickets are £30. Then on the 15th May between 6.30pm-8pm there will be a talk on births, marriages and deaths that can be booked for £12. During the 17th and 18th centuries, the royal bed had great political significance; it was the place where future kings were born.