- It is more than 450 years since Henry VIII's footsteps
echoed down the corridors.
- In that time, Hampton Court Palace has become known as
one of the most haunted places in Britain.
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- The restless spirit of the King's executed fifth wife
Catherine Howard reportedly has been seen by several visitors -- sometimes
uttering terrible cries.
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- Now a mysterious hooded figure captured on closed-circuit
TV footage has added the most intriguing chapter to the palace's ghostly
history.
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- On several occasions, security guards were alerted to
an open fire door in an exhibition area.
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- After closing it the first time, they reviewed the camera
footage to see the door flying open for no apparent reason.
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- But the second time it happened, they were astonished
to see a figure in period dress appear on the screen and close the door.
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- Stranger still was that a member of the public had noted
in the palace's visitor book that she thought she had seen a ghost in that
area when the incident happened in October.
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- A palace guard said: "I was shocked when the camera
footage showed an eerie figure in period dress in the doorway. It was incredibly
spooky because the face just didn't look human.
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- "My first reaction was that someone was having a
laugh, so I asked my colleagues to take a look.
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- "We spoke to our costumed guides, but they don't
own a costume like that worn by the figure. It is actually quite unnerving."
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- Experts say the picture could be one of the best yet
of a ghost "caught in the act".
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- The palace has been used by British monarchs since Henry
first made it a royal home. Oliver Cromwell imprisoned Charles I there
during the Civil War.
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- The Georgian Rooms and the Haunted Gallery are particularly
associated with sightings of Catherine Howard, linked to the final hours
before she went to the executioner's block for adultery in 1542.
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- Henry's third wife, Jane Seymour, also died at the palace
-- although in her case it was from natural causes following the birth
of the King's heir, Edward.
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- Dr Richard Wiseman, a psychologist and expert on haunting
from the University of Hertfordshire, said: "If this is a ghost, it's
one of the best images ever. What's good about it is that it's not ambiguous
-- it's clearly a solid figure, not blurry and not a reflection. Also,
it is doing something that has an effect on the real world -- closing a
door.
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- "I don't know of any other footage that has both
these attributes. The main thing is that this is a moving film -- and moving
film is much, much harder to fake."
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- Dr Wiseman, a sceptic when it comes to the supernatural,
said it was possible that the figure was a hoax or an oddly dressed member
of the public.
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- "Of course, it may be a ghost that just doesn't
like draughts," he said.
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- DAILY MAIL
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