Prince William’s 11-Word Reaction to Being Told There’s a Ghost at Anmer Hall
Apparently, ghosts don’t faze Prince William. The Prince of Wales had what might be the calmest reaction ever — this writer thinks so anyway — upon learning his country home, Anmer Hall, is haunted. Ahead, the ghost that supposedly plagues the royal residence in Norfolk, England, and what William said about it.
The ghost of Henry Walpole haunts Anmer Hall
In the Oct. 11 episode of “Hello! A Right Royal Podcast” titled “Ghost Story Special,” paranormal historian Richard Felix clued listeners in on the ghost that haunts William and Kate’s country home.
Their name? Henry Walpole. A priest killed in 1595 for his religion, Walpole lived at Anmer Hall and supposedly haunts the property in death.
“When the Prince of Wales and Princess of Wales moved into Anmer Hall,” Felix began. “It’s more or less on the Sandringham Estate. There was a ghost there of a Catholic priest that lived there and was hanged, drawn, and quartered for high treason. And for some reason, [he] has returned to his home.”
William remarked that Anmer Hall wouldn’t ‘be complete without a ghost’
‘There’s a ghost here? I’d expect as much,’ is basically the reaction William had, according to Felix. He shared how, prior to William and Kate moving in, they were notified of a ghost.
“Before the Waleses moved in, they were warned about the ghost,” Felix said. “And the comment was — I presume it was from Prince William — he said, ‘No old hall would be complete without a ghost, would it?’”
Perhaps a lifetime of royal residences dating back centuries contributed to William’s nonplussed reaction. After all, he spent his youth at Kensington Palace and Highgrove House. As a teen, he headed off to boarding school at Eton College, yet another old, historic building. Today, he still frequents royal residences and calls them home.
As for sightings of the ghost, the expert said Walpole sightings do happen at William and Kate’s country home. “Although he was executed in York, they’ve actually heard his voice,” he said. “And they have seen the ghost of what they say is a priest, wandering around Anmer Hall.”
Queen Elizabeth gave Anmer Hall to William and Kate Middleton as a wedding gift
Talk about a wedding gift. The Prince and Princess of Wales received not a set of china or a blender from Queen Elizabeth II when they wed in April 2011. Instead, they got a house.
The queen, who died in September 2022, gave them Anmer Hall. The Georgian mansion is located about 100 miles outside of the country’s capital. William, Kate, and their three children often spend holidays and school breaks there.
Not only is it near Sandringham, the estate where royals celebrate Christmas, but it has 10 bedrooms. Meaning plenty of room for William, Kate, Prince George, Prince Louis, and Princess Charlotte. And maybe a ghost — or two.
2015 marked the completion of Anmer Hall renovations, which cost $2 million. Part of it included a kitchen overhaul to make it open-concept, which baffled Queen Elizabeth.
