Hampton Court Ghost Footage

Ever since a security camera in 2003 captured a strange figure at a set of fire doors connected to Hampton Court Palace believers and skeptics have debated whether this footage is real or just a hoax.

Hampton Court Palace

In this debate opinions are most often put forth as proof, so in this post I will just state the known facts and let the reader decide.

Over the course of three days in October of 2003 a Hampton Court Palace security camera (CCTV) captured a series of mysterious events. The first day the camera recorded these double doors bursting open and then shutting quickly on their own around 1:00 p.m.

On the second day a two-minute section on the footage recorded at approximately the same time shows the doors opening, and then a figure appears and shuts them.

The third day at the same time the camera again recorded the doors opening and shutting with what appeared to be no assistance.

The figure captured on the second day could be male of female with long curly hair. It is wearing a long robe or dress that reminds people of 16^th century attire. This robe has decorated edges and is split in the front in the center. The sleeves are wide and decorated as well.

The guards and staff at the palace felt the mystery deepened when it was discovered no one was near these doors on these days and no one came forward to state they had closed them.

One curator at the time stated that no explanation was discovered as to why this camera caught these images.

According to palace guards this figure was captured on the second day after a fire alarm went off. When several guards arrived in the exhibition hall they discovered the doors where closed and no one was near them.

It was determined at the time the palace guards were innocent of any wrongdoing and that there were no guards in this area at the time of the recordings.

Security guard, James Faukes told the BBC at the time the footage was discovered:

“It was incredibly spooky because the face just didn’t look human.”

Faukes stated he did not believe the footage was a hoax or fake.

“I thought, someone was having a laugh but our costumed guides don’t own a costume like that. It is actually quite unnerving.”

On the day the figure was caught on the CCTV camera an Australian tourist and her friends whom knew nothing about the video recordings left a note in Hampton Court’s guestbook as they left.

They wrote they had seen a ghost in the area in this exhibition hall near these fire doors.

Over the centuries several witnesses have claimed to see a ghost near where these doors stand today.

I lean on the side that this footage is too good to be true--but that is just my opinion.

Hampton Court Palace is on the Thames in western London, England. It is a popular tourist spot. This figure was dubbed Skeletor because its face has a strange appearance.

Two of Hampton Court’s famous ghosts are former wives of Henry the Vlll--Jayne Seymour who died giving birth to Henry’s son in the palace and Catherine Howard who Henry had beheaded for adultery. More about Howard's ghost here.

Here is what the CCTV camera caught on the second day, slowed down.