Historic Royal Palaces

The independent charity that looks after the Tower of London, Hampton Court Palace, Kensington Palace, Banqueting House, Kew Palace and Hillsborough Castle and Gardens.

About Historic Royal Palaces

Historic Royal Palaces is an independent charity that cares for six of the most important royal buildings in the UK: the Tower of London, Hampton Court Palace, Kensington Palace, Banqueting House, Kew Palace, and Hillsborough Castle and Gardens. Its website says the palaces have witnessed dramatic events that shaped the nation over a thousand years. The charity's job is to look after the buildings and their contents, open them to the public and tell their stories, including both well-known monarchs and the lives of people that history often overlooks.

In its own words the charity says it "exists for tomorrow, not just yesterday", aiming to give the palaces a future as valuable as their past. It describes its approach through four principles: long-term conservation to a high standard; explaining the wider historical context while encouraging visitors to make their own discoveries; having a distinct point of view and finding new ways of doing things; and bringing spectacle and pageantry to its work, in keeping with the palaces' traditions. It also says it wants everyone to feel welcome and accepted.

The palaces are spread across the UK. Four are in or near London: the Tower of London, Banqueting House, Kensington Palace and Hampton Court Palace, with Kew Palace in the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew. Hillsborough Castle and Gardens, in County Down, brings the charity's work to Northern Ireland. The charity describes itself as depending entirely on public support, which is an important part of how it presents itself.

The pages we read give no staff or volunteer numbers, so we cannot say how large the team is. They do describe it as a team of people who care for the palaces, with a strong sense of purpose about looking after places that are part of the national story. We could not find a longer description of working culture, and the points above about welcome and about finding new ways of doing things are the charity's own claims rather than anything we have checked.

Looking after palaces needs a wide set of skills. Historians and curators research the stories and objects; conservators care for buildings, interiors and collections; gardeners and estate teams look after the grounds; visitor-experience staff, guides and costumed interpreters welcome the public; and there are teams for learning, events, retail and catering, marketing and digital, fundraising, finance and people. The Tower of London and Hampton Court are among the UK's best-known visitor sites, so jobs here sit close to the public. The charity's website lists current vacancies.

What they do

• {'desc': 'Looking after historic buildings, interiors and collections.', 'title': 'Palace care and conservation'}
• {'desc': 'Opening the palaces to the public with guides, interpretation and events.', 'title': 'Visitor experiences'}
• {'desc': 'Telling the stories of kings, queens and overlooked people, with programmes for schools and families.', 'title': 'Storytelling and learning'}

Key facts

• Cares for six palaces: Tower of London, Hampton Court Palace, Banqueting House, Kensington Palace, Kew Palace and Hillsborough Castle and Gardens
• Independent charity that depends on public support (own claim)
• Stated purpose: to exist "for tomorrow, not just yesterday"
• Four principles: conservation, context and discovery, a distinct point of view, spectacle and pageantry

Website: www.hrp.org.uk