This summer the London Dungeon is set to expose the dastardly depths of royal history as it launches its new show, Rotten Royals.
Set at the end of the reign of King Charles I – arguably the most disliked King Charles in British history – it details his untimely execution after being tried for high treason, and the shocking abolition of the English monarchy for more than a decade.
The spine-chilling show transports guests back in time to 1649. Picture the scene – England has been in the midst of a deadly Civil War for five years, and none other than the King himself is due to be executed after he’s found guilty of a being a ‘tyrant, traitor, murderer and public enemy’. The grisly show places fearful London Dungeon guests in the heart of the preparations for the unique historical event, as Charles I remains the only English King to be tried and executed for treason to this day.
As guests descend into the chilling darkness of the Dungeon this summer, they’ll come face to face with a nervous Executioner anxiously practising his swing on the block, as he decides which unfortunate fool is in for the chop, before he brings King Charles I to the same fate.
A London Dungeon spokesperson said: “As we’ve welcomed another King Charles onto the throne, it’s only right we pay homage to the first, who paved the way for the modern-day coexistence of our ‘ever-popular’ parliament and monarchy – lucky us! This summer, guests will take a journey through the death of the only British King to have ever been executed. Join the Executioner as he practises his beheading technique – will you be lucky enough to make it out with your head?”
The new London Dungeon show, Rotten Royals, opens to the public from 13th July and is included in the standard ticket price.
Those brave enough to enter the depths of the London Dungeon, which is situated on the capital’s South Bank, will uncover unsettling tales of London’s darkest past and come face-to-face with spine-chilling historic characters including Jack the Ripper, Sweeney Todd and Mrs Lovett herself.
Book tickets to the London Dungeon online in advance at www.thedungeons.com/london or here to save.
Frightful Facts About King Charles I:
· Charles I was known for being a ‘catfish’, asking portrait artists to paint him taller than he was, leading to his enemy Oliver Cromwell famously asking to be painted “warts and all”, in a subtle dig at Charles I
· Throughout his life, his love for international travel was led by his desire to marry and strengthen his allies and wealth, and his search for a wife even ended up in a declaration of war.
o Whilst searching for a wife in Spain, Charles I was pressured to convert to Catholicism and live in Spain, as he didn’t want to and was disappointed in his failure to marry a Spanish princess, he asked his dad to declare war on Spain.
o He did eventually go on to marry a French noble woman, however the wedding was carried out without him being in France, and was married ‘in-absentia’ from across the sea – how romantic!
· Charles I is believed to have ruled unfairly, often taxing the people without the consent of Parliament and waging disastrous wars with powerful European countries. Charles was also on the losing side of the English Civil War against Oliver Cromwell.
· He was ultimately executed by his own people for mismanaging the country’s affairs to achieve his own personal gains and remains the only English King to be tried and executed for treason. The end of his reign also led to the end of the monarchy (albeit for a brief eleven years), before his son Charles II ascended to the throne after the Restoration.