At the foot of Edinburgh’s Royal Mile, an old abbey stands beside the monarch’s working palace. The Palace of Holyroodhouse is the King’s official residence in Scotland, and the two buildings help explain how royal life took root here. This is where Mary, Queen of Scots, lived after returning from France and where the monarch still receives guests during Holyrood Week.
The palace sits at the opposite end of the Royal Mile from Edinburgh Castle. If you know the castle’s dramatic skyline but have never walked down to Holyroodhouse, the difference in setting tells its own story. Here the palace, the abbey ruins and the gardens sit together, with centuries of royal history visible in a single view.
An abbey came first
The Royal Collection Trust’s building history traces Holyroodhouse to an Augustinian abbey founded by David I in 1128. James IV began turning the royal lodgings beside it into a palace around the time of his 1503 marriage to Margaret Tudor, sister of Henry VIII. James V later added the tower that now forms the oldest surviving part of the palace.
The palace in four dates
1128: David I founds the abbey.
1503: James IV’s marriage marks the era in which the royal lodgings become a palace.
1561: Mary, Queen of Scots, returns from France and lives at Holyroodhouse.
1670s: The palace is rebuilt for Charles II, giving much of it the form we see today.
Mary’s rooms are in that old tower. She returned to Scotland in 1561 after the death of her first husband, Francis II of France, and married Lord Darnley in the palace chapel in 1565. The following year, her private secretary, David Rizzio, was murdered at the palace. The Trust’s guide explains those events in the context of the rooms where Mary lived.
A royal residence that still has work to do
During Holyrood Week, Edinburgh’s Lord Provost offers the monarch the city’s keys in a ceremony on the palace forecourt. The palace also hosts an investiture in the Great Gallery and a garden party. Our guide to what happens at a royal investiture explains the honors ceremony in more detail.
How to explore the palace
If you’re planning a visit, start with Royal Collection Trust’s official visitor page for opening dates and access details. The palace is still used for official engagements, so check the arrangements for your date before traveling. The Trust notes that access to Mary’s rooms is restricted by a narrow, steep staircase.
What to look for
Mary’s chambers: The oldest surviving part of the palace.
The Great Gallery: Portraits of Scottish kings and a setting for present-day honors.
The abbey: The ruins beside the palace are a reminder of what stood here first.
From home, the Trust’s palace guide has room highlights and links to the stories behind them. For more ways to browse royal art and objects online, see RI’s guide to the Royal Collection.
What’s your take? Would you go straight to Mary’s rooms, linger in the Great Gallery, or start at the abbey? No login required to comment.
Sources: The Royal Household: Holyroodhouse; Holyrood Week; Royal Collection Trust: Who built the palace?; official visitor guide. Featured photograph: Saffron Blaze, via Wikimedia Commons / CC BY 3.0.
