Historic Royal Palaces is an independent charity created in 1998 to manage Britain's unoccupied royal palaces. These are:
- The Tower of London
- Hampton Court Palace
- Kensington Palace (State Apartments and Orangery only)
- Banqueting House, Whitehall
- Kew Palace with Queen Charlotte's Cottage
Historic Royal Palaces is contracted by the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport to manage the palaces on The Queen's behalf. It receives no funding from the Government or the Crown, depending on the support of visitors, members, donors, volunteers and sponsors. It is a registered charity.
The occupied royal palaces are cared for and maintained by the Royal Household Property Section. They are all open to the public.
Famous quotes containing the words royal palaces, historic, royal and/or palaces:
“What did you go out into the wilderness to look at? A reed shaken by the wind? What then did you go out to see? Someone dressed in soft robes? Look, those who wear soft robes are in royal palaces. What then did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet.”
—Bible: New Testament, Matthew 11:7-9.
Jesus speaking about John the Baptist.
“The first farmer was the first man, and all historic nobility rests on possession and use of land.”
—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)
“Are you there, Africa with the bulging chest and oblong thigh? Sulking Africa, wrought of iron, in the fire, Africa of the millions of royal slaves, deported Africa, drifting continent, are you there? Slowly you vanish, you withdraw into the past, into the tales of castaways, colonial museums, the works of scholars.”
—Jean Genet (1910–1986)
“Heaven is in the hut of my beloved.
Set the palaces on fire.”
—Punjabi proverb, trans. by Gurinder Singh Mann.