An update from Historic Royal Palaces:

It is two months since we closed the doors to the six wonderful palaces in our care as a result of the Coronavirus outbreak.

Since then, we have been touched by the messages of support from our members, supporters and visitors.

You will be aware that the Government recently announced some changes to the nation's lockdown position and more changes will follow in the coming months.

However the lockdown eases, it is clear that we must all observe social distancing for the foreseeable future, so we have been making detailed plans to re-open our sites safely, in accordance with the latest Government advice.

As our members and closest supporters, I wanted to write to you first, to explain these plans and seek your support through the months ahead.

We have begun awakening the palaces, re-opening our online shop and preparing the measures that will protect our staff and visitors when we open the doors again.

We know that you will be keen to see friends and family and to walk in the beautiful palace gardens again.

Therefore, the gardens at Hampton Court Palace and at Hillsborough Castle will re-open during June for you to enjoy once more.

In July, we hope that we will be able to re-open some palace interiors followed, in time, by our cafes and shops.

This will mean putting in place many new safety measures and precautions, and we will need your co-operation to make this work.

When we re-open, we will carefully manage the number of people visiting the palaces at any one time.

The safest way to do this is to ask everyone to pre-book tickets via hrp.org.uk.

We will be in touch again once tickets are available to book.

Our plans for new exhibitions, experiences and activities to share with you in 2020 may have been put on hold, but we will find new ways to create space for spirits to stir and be stirred at our six sites.

In the meantime, we urgently need the support of our members and supporters.

We have lost the majority of our income, and we face serious financial challenges.

If, like us, you love the palaces and believe in what we do, we would welcome any donation you are able to give to sustain the charity through this difficult period.

A donation to Historic Royal Palaces is an investment in their future – so that visitors can continue to enjoy them for centuries to come.

We will be in touch soon with further details about re-opening.

For now, thank you for your patience and support; we've missed sharing these wonderful palaces with you and look forward to welcoming you back soon.

John Barnes