Early Furniture and Works of Art

Anne Boleyn’s carved falcon badge on display at Hampton Court Palace to mark 500^th anniversary of her first encounter with Henry VIII, following new research linking rare architectural survival to palace’s Great Hall

Queen Anne Boleyn’s falcon badge on show from 4 March 2022

She is one of the most legendary figures in British history, whose story still captivates audiences five centuries after her execution. Now, exactly 500 years to the day since she is first recorded as appearing before her future husband – playing the role of Perseverance in a court masque – her carved heraldic badge goes on show at Hampton Court Palace, where experts now believe it to have once formed part of the building’s famous interiors.