Is Historic Royal Palaces membership worth it in 2026? If you are planning visits to the Tower of London, Hampton Court Palace or Kensington Palace, it is worth checking the membership price before buying separate tickets.
An individual membership currently starts at £65 a year, and one visit to the Tower of London plus one visit to Hampton Court Palace can already cost more than that. Here are five things to know about Historic Royal Palaces membership prices, benefits and family membership in 2026.
1. Historic Royal Palaces membership starts at £65
The current annual membership prices when paying by Direct Debit are:
- Individual: £65
- Joint: £105
- Family 1: £80
- Family 2: £125
Paying by debit or credit card rather than annual Direct Debit adds £10 to each of these prices. The current prices are valid until 28 February 2027.
Family 1 membership covers one adult and up to six named children aged 5–15. Family 2 covers two adults living at the same address and up to six named children aged 5–15.
2. Which palaces are included in Historic Royal Palaces membership?
Membership gives you unlimited general admission during opening hours to:
- Tower of London
- Hampton Court Palace
- Kensington Palace
- Hillsborough Castle and Gardens
Members also currently receive 10% off admission to Kew Gardens, where Kew Palace and the Great Pagoda are located.
For anyone looking specifically for Tower of London membership or Hampton Court Palace membership, this is worth knowing: you don’t buy a separate membership for each palace. One Historic Royal Palaces membership covers them all.
3. Two palace visits could already make membership worthwhile
This is where the figures become interesting.
A standard adult ticket for the Tower of London currently costs from £37, while Hampton Court Palace adult admission starts at £29.
That’s £66 for just two visits.
An individual Historic Royal Palaces membership is currently £65 when paid by annual Direct Debit.
So, if you intend to visit the Tower of London and Hampton Court Palace once each during the year, membership can already work out cheaper than buying those two adult tickets separately.
And you still have the rest of the year to return.
4. Historic Royal Palaces family membership could be even better value
For families, the sums can become even more convincing.
A Family 2 membership costs £125 a year by Direct Debit and covers two adults plus up to six named children aged 5–15.
For comparison, off-peak admission for two adults and two children currently comes to £111 at the Tower of London alone. The same family would pay another £87 for Hampton Court Palace at current off-peak prices.
That would be £198 for the two family days out, compared with £125 for a year’s Family 2 membership.
Obviously, whether you save money depends on where and when you visit, but families planning several palace trips should certainly compare the membership price before booking individual tickets.
5. Membership makes repeat visits much more appealing
The value isn’t only about squeezing as many attractions as possible into a year.
Hampton Court Palace in particular is somewhere you could easily visit several times. Go for the palace and Henry VIII on one trip, spend more time exploring the gardens and Maze on another, or return for seasonal events.
Members receive unlimited general admission during normal opening hours and usually don’t need to book a free member ticket in advance. There are some selected event dates when pre-booking is required, so it is worth checking before travelling.
Other membership benefits currently include discounts in palace shops, cafés and restaurants, early booking for selected events, discounted or free entry to some events and access to member-only events.
So, is Historic Royal Palaces membership worth it?
For one visit, probably not. For two or three palace visits, it could be.
The £65 individual membership looks particularly good value if both Hampton Court Palace and the Tower of London are on your list.
Family membership may make even more sense if you have children and live within easy reach of London or Hampton Court. Once you have membership, you don’t need to treat every visit as a major full-day excursion. You can go back for a few hours, revisit a favourite part of a palace or simply have an easy idea for another weekend or school-holiday day out.
For regular London visitors and families looking for days out, Historic Royal Palaces membership is definitely one to consider in 2026.
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