Crown Confidential: Access to Historical Records about the Royal Family

Are the British Royal Family the real enemies of history? Over the decades they have actively suppressed uncomfortable narratives about themselves. Hundreds of files in the national and royal archives remain inaccessible to the general public, files that many would argue are of public interest. The result? Holes in our country’s history.

These are some of the conclusions from the team at the magazine Index on Censorship, who carried out an investigation into royal historical censorship for their Winter issue. As part of the launch of the magazine, a panel of speakers will discuss the findings alongside their experiences of trying to access historical archives. This will be a lively discussion and one with heightened importance following the death of Queen Elizabeth II in September and ahead of the coronation of Charles III in the spring.

Speaking on the panel will be:

Philip Murphy, Director of History and Policy at the Institute of Historical Research and author of Queen Elizabeth and the Commonwealth: Time to Open the Archives Anna Whitelock, Professor of the History of Monarchy at City, University of London and Director of the Centre for the Study of Modern Monarchy Anne Sebba, Senior Research Fellow at the Institute of Historical Research and author of That Woman

The event will be chaired by Jemimah Steinfeld, editor-in-chief at Index on Censorship.

When: Wednesday 18 January 2023, 5:30pm – 7:00pm

Where: Woburn Suite, G22/26, Ground Floor, Senate House, Malet Street, London WC1E 7HU

Tickets: Free, advance booking essential