The Palace of Holyroodhouse: Edinburgh
- Taryn
- 3 hours ago
- 2 min read
Introduction
We spent our last day in Edinburgh touring the Palace of Holyroodhouse, the official Edinburgh residence of the Sovereign, King Charles III, which is located on the east end of the Royal Mile. Before Holyroodhouse became a royal residence, the land was first the site of Holyrood Abbey beginning in the 12th century. The atmospheric ruins of the abbey are still standing today adjacent to the palace (see photo below). The name Holyrood comes from the Old English word halig rod which meant “holy cross.” The palace was built in the early 16th century for King James IV. I love that the photo I snapped of Holyroodhouse is gloomy and sinister, which foreshadows a violent story attached to Mary, Queen of Scots, her private secretary, and her husband.
Murder in the Palace
The story goes that the second husband of Mary, Queen of Scots, Lord Darnley, was a vain, power hungry, and sometimes violent man, especially after drinking. Darnley resented that Mary did not grant him more power. Soon after their marriage Mary became aware of her husband’s shortcomings and the couple became estranged. In the meantime, Mary grew close to her secretary, David Rizzio, which greatly displeased Darnley. In response, Darnley gathered a group of men and plotted Rizzio’s murder in the Stuart antechamber downstairs from Mary’s apartments. On the night of March 9, 1566, the men entered Mary’s bedchamber and dragged Rizzio into the outer chamber, where they stabbed him 57 times. You can see the stone stairwell that the men would have climbed to get to Mary’s bedchamber in the photo below. However, Karma caught up with Dardley and in February 1567, he himself was murdered. His body was found outside of his lodgings at Kirk o’ Field.
The Royal Gardens
Now that I have subjected you to the darkest story of Holyroodhouse, here is a glimpse of the Royal Gardens following the King's Garden Parties that just took place days before during Holyrood Week. We were lucky that we were in Edinburgh long enough to tour the palace, since the public is not allowed while the King is in residence. I believe King Charles and Queen Camilla left the day before our visit.
To wrap things up, here is another beautiful floral feature—a grand courtyard fountain framed by a burst of vibrant flowers. My next post will be about our arrival in London!
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