Jewel In The Crown

This month, bestselling author Adele Parks is taught a thing or two during a family visit to Hampton Court Palace

- Adele Parks

WE’RE lucky, there are countless National Heritage sites to be enjoyed in Surrey: stately homes, museums, memorials, ancient towers and even a castle. A plethora of opportunities to entertain, educate (and let’s be honest – infuriate) the teen in your life.

Surrey is certainly rich in culture and history. Yet how many counties can boast palaces? Hampton Court is the jewel in our crown.

My mum and I like to consider ourselves quite the Tudor experts (we’ve both read all of Philippa Gregory’s novels) but my knowledge on the monarchs of the 18th century is sketchy. There’s nothing I like more than knowing a thing or two, and there’s little my husband likes more than pointing out that I don’t know everything, so Hampton Court – rich in the history of both periods – seemed an ideal choice for our family jaunt.