ENGLAND TRIP: Day 4:, Part 3 : Hampton Court Palace: The Screaming Ghost of Catherine Howard

The haunted gallery- where I encountered Catherine's ghost

  The most haunted part of Hampton Court Palace is known to be the "Haunted Gallery." This is a hallway that has paintings on each side... it's also the hallway that young, 15 year old Catherine Howard, one of Henry VIII's wives (his 5th wife), ran down screaming to get to the king while he was praying - to beg not to have her head cut off for cheating on him. Henry was actually out hunting at the time, and Catherine was dragged away screaming by guards.

  Many people have reported seeing a woman drifting down the gallery and describe her as being dressed in white with long flowing hair. According to Hampton Court Palace's publication "Palace Phantoms," one person described this incident: "Just as she reaches the Royal Pew she lets out an unearthly shriek and hurries back to the top of the stairs with a ghastly look of despair."  Note: As a queen, Catherine's room were located at the top of those stairs- but its not there anymore). Other times people reported seeing a hand reach out from one of the curtains, or feeling a cold chill.

  ROB'S CHILLING EXPERIENCE: I didn't know anything about what transpired in this hallway or the history until after i I walked in the hallway and got a headache. I was listening to the audio tour (which I replayed and videotaped below). As I was standing near the hallway curtains, the ones that have been known to have a ghostly hand reach out from them, I felt a ghost running down the hallway and pass right through me!!  It was a feeling of terror, too. Not a good feeling at all. I know it was Catherine Howard that ran through me screaming!