The Hampton Court Palace, near the River Thames in London, is famous as the home of King Henry VIII. It’s also famous for being the current home of quite a few ghosts! As tourists walk about the 1,300 chambers of the palace, many report hearing, feeling, and sometimes even seeing spooky unexplained apparitions. The ghosts are often seen dressed darkly and have been referred to as the “Grey Ladies.”

One of the most famous was captured on a security camera and has been dubbed “Skeletor.” It was winter of 2003, a fire alarm sounded in the palace near an exhibition hall, which signaled that the fire doors had been opened. When the security guards arrived, the doors were closed and no one was around. When they went back to review the security footage what they saw was astonishing. The doors seeming fly open without anyone nearby, then a darkly hooded “person” appears from the hall and draws the doors closed. Security recalled that those same doors had been opened at the same time, in the same way, the previous night, though they saw no ghostly figure on that night’s security footage.

Many ask why these ghosts appear in black, as most ghostly sightings are white or cloudy. Well, 16th century dead are buried in white shrouds, hence white ghosts perhaps? However, if ghosts are a manifestation of a deceased one’s essence then Victorian-era ghosts would appear black or grey. This is because a Victorian would associate death with the darker colors of mourning, hence the appearance of the “Grey Ladies.” If ghosts exist that is….