Mary, Queen of Scots’ rooms at Holyrood Palace
The murder of David Rizzio
On 9 March 1566, armed men burst into Mary’s supper room in the tower, seized her private secretary David Rizzio, dragged him from the room and stabbed him 56 times. Whatever you think you feel about 16th-century politics, standing in that small room recalibrates it — the space is tight, domestic, and utterly ordinary, which is what makes it land.
Is the blood stain real?
On the floor of the outer chamber you are shown a spot said to be Rizzio’s blood. Here is my honest line, the one I use on my own tours: the stain you’re shown is a Victorian-era tradition as much as a forensic fact. The murder is thoroughly documented; the stain’s authenticity is debated, and the Victorians — who adored a relic — did the palace’s storytelling no favours. Go for the room, not the mark on the floor.
Seeing the rooms today
The tower chambers come near the end of the one-way circuit, after the Great Gallery — the full sequence is on my room-by-room page. No photography inside, so the supper room stays in your memory rather than your camera roll. If Mary is the reason you are in Edinburgh, the £19.50 guided Mary, Queen of Scots walking tour traces her story from the palace gates up to the castle with a live guide — Sean, a UK reviewer, called it the best historical tour he had taken in the UK and came out “feeling sympathetic for Mary”. My full review of that walk covers who it suits.
Walk Mary’s Edinburgh with a guide
Frequently asked questions
Is the blood stain in Holyrood Palace real?
The murder is real and minutely documented; the stain is a Victorian-era tradition as much as a forensic fact, and its authenticity is debated. You will still be shown it on the outer chamber floor — it comes near the end of the visitor route.
Did Mary, Queen of Scots live at Holyrood or Edinburgh Castle?
She lived at Holyrood, from 1561 to 1567, in the north-west tower you can still walk through on a standard palace ticket. Her Holyrood years, and the Rizzio murder, are the heart of the £19.50 guided walk on my walking tours page.
Can you take photos in Mary, Queen of Scots’ rooms?
No — the Royal Collection Trust permits no interior photography anywhere in the palace, her chambers included. The abbey ruins and gardens outside are where cameras come back out.