The former home of English royalty has been given a makeover.

The Boleyn Apartment at Hever Castle in Edenbridge is the only surviving suite of rooms inhabited by the Boleyn family, whose daughter went on to marry King Henry VIII.

The family, including Anne Boleyn, lived in the rooms in the 16th century and, while they have been recently refurbished, they remain largely unaltered in terms of structure, giving visitors a glimpse into what life was like for the soon-to-be royal.

The team at Hever Castle, along with Tudor historian Dr David Starkey, has refurnished and redecorated the rooms inside the apartment to replicate what it would have looked like when the Boleyn family lived there.

The team also used paintings by German-Swiss artist Hans Holbein the Younger, who worked with the royals from 1532, to help them place objects and textiles accurately within the rooms.

The current display, which is now open to the public, tells the story of Anne’s journey to become Queen in Waiting.

The use of tapestries, fabrics and furniture will give visitors a chance to better understand how she became Henry VIII’s second wife and, in turn, one of the most influential monarchs in history.

Visitors will experience The Parlour, the Nursery - which was once Anne Boleyn’s bedroom - the Great Chamber and the Best Bedchamber where Anne would have read love letters from Henry as he courted her. These letters currently survive in the Vatican Library.

“It’s Hever Castle where the royal love affair that shook the world reached its turning point; it’s the place, literally, where the English Reformation began,” says Dr Starkey. “And, most astonishing of all, it still looks the same—outside and, where it matters, inside as well. Anne Boleyn would recognise it; she would even be able to find her way to the room where she slept.”

You can book tickets to Hever Castle and the newly refurbished rooms here.

A visit to the apartment is included in your entry ticket.