As an avid lover of Bridgerton (minus season one, we don’t talk about her) and Tudor history, Hampton Court Palace is by far one of my favorite experiences of this trip abroad. From the beautiful back gardens, to the delicately detailed art adorning the walls and ceilings, and the interactive exhibits from the Tudor era of the palace, walking the halls of this massive structure felt like I was literally being sucked into a different time or world of some sort.
When looking at the directions for this assignment, I love that I was asked what it would have been like to be Henry VIII or William and Mary. After precisely 15 seconds of thinking about it, I realized I actually don’t care how they felt. There is only one person whose experience in the castle haunts (hehe I’m so funny) my thoughts: Cathrine Howard.
When Cathrine Howard was a 17 year old girl she was forced to, in the words of Merritt, “marry stinky, gross, evil Henry VIII.” However, their marriage did not last long. After only 18 months Cathrine was charged with committing adultery and executed for treason. In the castle, you can walk through the halls that Cathrine ran screaming through after being arrested, and now, to this day, halls are said to be haunted by her ghost.
As we have discovered through the course of these blogs, I can not be normal about anything, so walking through this hall did elicit an emotional response for me. I felt my heart drop the second I realized what hallway it was, and I nearly started crying. Cathrine, a young girl forced to marry, begging for her life before it had even begun. My heart aches for the young Cathrine, even though it has been 600 years. I think about the soul trapped, still begging for someone to save her. If Henry VIII has no haters, I am dead. Cathrine, girl, get behind me pleaseeeee.
Theatre in London U of A 