Five shocking tales from Britain's royal palaces

Royal residences have been a hotbed of drama, violence and intrigue down the centuries, as Kate Williams reveals

- Kate Williams

1 Deadly deeds in the dead of night

On the night of 31 May 1810, residents of St James's Palace were awoken to the spine-tingling shriek of "I am murdered!" The cry emanated from none other than the Duke of Cumberland, fifth son of George III - and what happened next would spark a national scandal.

It's little wonder that the duke feared for this life: he had woken up to being hit over the head by a mysterious assailant.

The duke set off across the palace to investigate and found his valet, Joseph Sellis, dead in his room, his throat cut.

What on Earth had happened? An inquest declared Sellis had tried to kill the duke and then turned the blade on himself. But the public wasn't so sure. In 1832, a book declared that the duke had murdered Sellis to silence him following allegations including blackmail and adultery. Alarmingly for Cumberland, plenty of people agreed. They didn't believe that the duke, one of the most unpopular royals in history, could possibly be innocent.

2 James VI's devilish obsession