Access to the Royal Archives

Please direct enquiries and requests for research access to the Royal Archives through our email contact form or by writing to The Royal Archives, Windsor Castle, Windsor, Berkshire SL4 1NJ.

As the Royal Archives receives a significant number of enquiries every week, there may be some delay in the receipt of a full reply to your enquiry. We therefore request your patience, and assure you that we will reply as soon as we are able. 

The Royal Archives has limited researcher facilities and pre-visit security clearance is necessary, therefore appointments should be made well in advance. If you are travelling from abroad, please contact us well ahead of your visit in order to reserve a research room seat.

All media requests for access to the Royal Archives should be directed to the Royal Collection Trust Press Office in the first instance.

Access for Researchers to the Royal Archives

When considering public requests for information from, or access to, its historic collections, the Royal Archives applies four principles: 

1. ‘Information First’ : Access to the collections is on the basis of information sought. 

2. Unique Content: Consideration will be given to applications where the material or content can be found only in the Royal Archives. Where it can be accessed elsewhere (for example, online or in other libraries or archives), external researchers will be expected to have consulted those sources first. 

3. Historical Research: Access is granted for the purpose of ‘historical research’. This term is widely defined, and recognises the huge range of subjects and themes and the myriad ways in which research is conducted. 

4. Equitable Access: The Royal Archives aims to provide access to a wide range of applicants, and this may mean that, from time to time, repeat applicants may be rejected in favour of those applying for the first time. 

Access to Records in the Royal Archives

1: Background:

Access to the records held in the Royal Archives is granted solely at the discretion of the Keeper of The Royal Archives, on behalf of His Majesty The King.

The Royal Household is not a public authority, as defined by the Freedom of Information Act 2000 and the Freedom Information (Scotland) Act 2002, and as such the Acts do not relate to access to records held in the Royal Archives. Also, the records in the Royal Archives are not defined as public records under the terms of the Public Records Acts.

The Royal Archives is subject to the Data Protection Act and General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). For access to personal information about yourself (‘subject access’) in the Royal Household, including the Royal Archives, application should be made to The Data Protection Manager, Information Assurance, Buckingham Palace, London, SW1A 1AA.

2: Principles for Access to Records:

While a private archive, the Royal Archives provides access to the records in line with the following principles:

Security: we ensure that the information in the records in our care is secured from unauthorised access and kept safe from accident, tampering or theft. 

Transparency: we continue work to provide information about whether access may be given to records on Royal Archives Online.

Openness: we work on a presumption of openness when considering requests for access. Once material has been reviewed and made available to researchers, it will be available to other researchers without further review.

Privacy: we ensure that personal, private, and sensitive information in our care is not released to third parties if it will cause the subject(s) of the records, if living, or immediate family, if not, damage or distress.

3: Categories for Access:

In line with these principles, records are open for research, except: 

• Records of the Royal Household for the current reign.
• Personal records of Members of the Royal Family, their households and families during their lifetimes.
• Records from the reign of Queen Elizabeth II, which remain unavailable while they are being catalogued and access conditions are assessed.

Otherwise, where fully catalogued, most records are available for review for access when over 30 years old, unless the information contained is thought sensitive. 

4: Review Process:

Where requests are made to see records for which access has not yet been granted to researchers, they will be reviewed in line with the principles and categories above. If following the review access is not given, the access status of the records will not be reviewed again for at least 5 years.