The rumor that Queen Elizabeth and her mother, the Queen Mother, held an exorcism at one of their royal residences has its origins in the 2000s and is largely based on accounts from royal biographer Kenneth Rose. According to his journals, a ceremony of sorts was held at Sandringham House after reports from staff about strange occurrences in the bedroom where King George VI, Queen Elizabeth’s father, had died in 1952.
The ceremony was not a conventional exorcism, as one might imagine from movies, but rather a more subdued religious ritual. As historian and royal biographer Robert Hardman explained in his podcast Queens, Kings and Dastardly Things, the room was believed to house a “troubled spirit,” and the purpose of the ceremony was to bless the space and rid it of its “restlessness.” Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, and her lady-in-waiting, Prue Penn, reportedly participated in the ritual, which included taking Holy Communion and saying special prayers.
The identity of the spirit in question remains unclear. While the ghost was believed to be connected to the room where King George VI passed away, speculation arose that it could even be the spirit of Princess Diana, who had died a few years earlier. However, it’s important to note that there is no definitive claim from the royals themselves regarding their belief in the paranormal. Hardman suggests that their participation was likely more about supporting their frightened staff than any personal belief in ghosts. Queen Elizabeth, while having a strong faith, was known for her pragmatism and was not particularly superstitious, a stance she shared with her son, King Charles, who is said to also possess a strong spiritual sense.
Interestingly, King Charles himself is said to have had at least one paranormal experience at Sandringham. In Britain’s Ghostly Heritage, author John West describes how the then-Prince of Wales once had a frightening encounter in a library on the estate, which caused him and a staff member to flee the room in fear.
Sandringham House, the royal family’s beloved Norfolk estate, has long been a place for Christmas and New Year’s celebrations. It was Queen Elizabeth’s chosen location for holiday gatherings since 1988, and it remains a cherished tradition for her grandchildren as well. On Christmas Eve, the royal family gathers for a formal dinner, exchanging gifts in a lively, chaotic fashion, as described by Prince Harry in his memoir Spare. Christmas Day includes a walk to the St. Mary Magdalene Church on the Sandringham Estate, where the royals greet the public before returning home to spend the rest of the day together.
While the rumored exorcism remains a curious chapter in the royal family’s history, Sandringham continues to be a place filled with family traditions and memories, some supernatural and others delightfully mundane.
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