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'I live inside Hampton Court Palace – it's picturesque but there's 1 problem'
Daily mirror | January 27, 2026 1:39 PM CST

Hampton Court Palace was previously the home of iconic royalty, including Henry VIII and William III, and now one man who lives within its walls has shared exactly what his home looks like from the inside. The Grade I listed palace has not been used as a royal residence since the passing of George II in 1760, and it is now primarily a major tourist attraction.

However, although no royals live at Hampton Court Palace, there are still some people who call the grounds home. As well as some staff members who reside on the grounds in order to carry out their duties and maintain the palace, there are also a small number of real tennis players who live at Hampton Court while playing professionally on the grounds.

Real tennis is distinct from the modern sport that is technically called lawn tennis, and the professionals who live in Hampton Court do so to help maintain the 500-year-old court and make the handmade balls used for the sport.

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One of those real tennis professionals is Jack Josephs, who shared a video of himself on TikTok in which he revealed that he calls Hampton Court Palace his home.

While he loves the picturesque garden views from his windows, there is one thing he can't stand about the palace – apparently, it is "definitely haunted".

He said: "I live inside Hampton Court Palace. My name's Jack, I'm 28, and four years ago, this royal palace became my home. And yes, it's definitely haunted."

Jack then gave a tour of the flat where he lives. He began in the bathroom, which he described as "massive", and it seemed to have plenty of empty space as his amenities, like his shower, were still a regular size.

He did, however, state that the bathroom has quite a low door frame and within one week of him moving in, he hit his head on the top of the frame and gave himself a concussion. He noted that the palace maintenance team have since added some padding to the frame for him so he isn't at risk of doing it again.

Upstairs, Jack has a window and a small sitting area where he can look out onto the Tudor palace, and a decently sized bedroom that also boasts stunning views of the grounds.

But Jack noted the layout of his flat does get "slightly strange" after the bedroom. He has a kitchen "in the middle" of his flat instead of being at one end like most traditional homes, and he has not one but two living rooms.

By far his favourite part of his entire flat, however, is a "tiny" window in his kitchen that he can open up to reveal stunning views of the grass and trees of the palace gardens.

He said: "This is my favourite part. I've got this tiny little kitchen window which opens onto this amazing view."

Jack didn't reveal how he knows the building is haunted in his video, but after people asked for some ghost stories in the comments, he insisted he would post some in a future video to share his spooky experiences with the world.

Many commenters were able to look past the ghosts that might inhabit the halls of the Tudor palace, however, as they said they were jealous of Jack for being able to call the palace his home.

One person said: "I'm so envious! What a fantastic place to live. Please tell us more about the ghosts that live there."

Another added: "You're so lucky, [it] looks cosy. And the history it must have must be amazing. I wonder who lived in your apartments when Henry [VIII] lived there."

Someone else requested: "Make another video about the haunted stuff. I've visited this place before and can confirm it gives an eerie vibe as soon as it gets dark."


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