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    Hampton Court Palace Displays Portrait of Edward VI After Acquiring at Auction
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    Hampton Court Palace Displays Portrait of Edward VI After Acquiring at Auction
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    London, Thursday 25 September

    Hampton Court Palace Displays Portrait of Edward VI After Acquiring at Auction

    25 September 2025

    Images for editorial use here. Please credit ©Historic Royal Palaces unless otherwise specified.
    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
    Historic Royal Palaces, the independent charity that cares for Hampton Court Palace, has put on display a portrait of King Edward VI, by a follower of English Court painter William Scrots. The work was acquired at London auction house Roseberys in their Old Master, British & European Pictures sale in March. The portrait went on display today in ‘The Tudor World’ exhibition in the Wolsey Rooms of Hampton Court Palace. 
    ©Roseberys/Historic Royal Palaces

    ©Roseberys/Historic Royal Palaces

    The small head-and-shoulders portrait is based on a painting of Edward VI (b1537, reigned 1547-1553) by the Flemish artist William Scrots. The original full-length version was likely produced in 1550 during the marriage negotiations between Edward VI and the daughter of Henri II of France, Elisabeth of Valois. This official image of the young King became a popular image and copies were made during Edward’s reign and through the rest of the 16th century.
    Edward VI was born at Hampton Court on 12th October 1537 and christened in a lavish ceremony in the Chapel Royal at the palace three days after. Edward’s mother, Henry VIII’s third wife Jane Seymour, died just nine days later in the same bedchamber where she had given birth. As a boy, Edward took precedence over his older half-sisters, the Princesses Mary and Elizabeth, and succeeded his father as King aged nine.  During his short reign, Edward attempted many Protestant reforms, initially under the guidance of his uncle, Edward Seymour, later Duke of Somerset, Protector of England. These included the publication of the Book of Common Prayer in 1549, the first to include the complete forms of daily worship.
    Portrait of Edward VI on display at Hampton Court Palace. © Historic Royal Palaces. Purchased with the generous support of the Meakins family.

    Portrait of Edward VI on display at Hampton Court Palace. © Historic Royal Palaces. Purchased with the generous support of the Meakins family.

    Historic Royal Palaces purchased the portrait from Roseberys with the generous support of the Meakins Family. After a period of assessment and preparation, it is now hanging in the Wolsey Rooms at Hampton Court, built in the 1520s for Thomas Wolsey, the palace’s original owner, and one of the oldest surviving apartments at Hampton Court. These rooms are open to the public and host a permanent exhibition of Tudor art and important historic artefacts from the sixteenth century that tell the story of this tumultuous age of change, and the Tudor dynasty’s relationship with the wider world.

    This finely-rendered portrait is such an enduring image of King Edward VI. The painter has deftly captured the psychology of a boy king in waiting, his expression both pensive and resolute, offering viewers an intimate window into the life of a figurehead of the Tudor dynasty. Roseberys is thrilled that Historic Royal Palaces has acquired it for their collection.

    said Lara L’vov-Basirov, Associate Director and Head of Old Master, British & European Pictures at Roseberys.

    Brett Dolman, Collections Curator at Historic Royal Palaces, said: 

    Edward VI is a key figure for Hampton Court. He was born at the palace and frequently stayed here as King. Historic Royal Palaces is delighted to have acquired this portrait of Edward for our own collection and to welcome him back to the palace. Over the next few months, we hope to study the portrait in more detail and to determine its relationship with other early copies of the young King. Meanwhile, we are very happy that our visitors will be able to meet him as part of their immersive journey back into the Tudor past.

    ENDS
    High res images available for editorial use here. Please credit ©Historic Royal Palaces unless otherwise specified. 
    For media enquiries please contact: aliciaglenn@roseberys.co.uk

    About Roseberys
    Operating in London for more than 30 years, Roseberys Fine Art Auctioneers is a privately owned specialist fine art and antiques auction house and valuers, located in the heart of South London.
     The team of world renowned experts and consultants offer both buyers and sellers a range of specialist art market services and a calendar of over 30 specialist auctions a year covering all areas of Asian Arts, Islamic & Indian Art, Jewellery & Watches, Old Master, 18th & 19th Century Art, Modern British & Contemporary British Art, Urban & Contemporary Prints & Multiples, 20th Century Art & Design, Impressionist, Modern, Post War & Contemporary Art and Decorative Arts, Fine & Decorative sales including Silver, Ceramics, Works of Art and Furniture. 
    In addition to hosting over 30 specialist auctions annually, Roseberys offers single-owner collection sales. Recent highlights include the Mary & Alan Hobart Collection (founders of Pyms Gallery), an Important Private Collection of Chinese Imperial Porcelain and The George Farrow Collection.
    About Historic Royal Palaces
    For further information or images, please contact the Historic Royal Palaces Press Office via press@hrp.org.uk / 020 3166 6166
    Historic Royal Palaces is the independent charity that loves and looks after six of the most wonderful palaces in the world. The palaces are the setting for the stories that shape us all, and we’re bringing them to people in ways that mean more to them. We want everyone to find themselves in the spaces and stories we share.
    Registered charity number 1068852. For more information visit www.hrp.org.uk