Weird4 min(s) read
Tourists mistook man for a naked ghost when he lived in the UK's most popular tourist spot
British stand-up comedian Tom Houghton lived in the most exclusive place in the world where no amount of money could buy even the pokiest apartment.
He lived for six years in the Tower of London, where his only neighbours were beefeaters and the ghosts of ancient royalty. But in reality, every history buff's dream came with some serious drawbacks, and plenty of comedic material.
Was the historic palace haunted?
Explaining his unusual living situation, Houghton told VT: "I lived in the Queen's house with my father, which was built in the 1100s so there were a lot of creaks in the night; it was super old and drafty."
When quizzed on whether he felt the house, which was built inside a historic prison wall, was haunted, he said, "I think more than anything, you just get a real sense of energy. You get a real sense that history's happened that you know, you know that people have starved to death in the cells.
"You know that people have waited to be beheaded. And so you can just feel that history is everywhere rather than seeing a bloke in a white sheet walking around."
The Tower of London is said to be haunted by several ghosts, including the spirit of Henry VIII's second wife, Anne Boleyn, who is believed to wander the grounds carrying her own severed head.
There have also allegedly been sightings of the ghosts of the young Princes in the Tower, with visitors claiming to see two small figures dressed in white near the Bloody Tower.
Another famous spirit is that of Lady Jane Grey, who is said to appear as a pale figure around the White Tower, adding to the building’s eerie reputation.
However, several unsuspecting tourists claim to have spotted a ghost that had been missed out of the history books. They claimed to see a "naked ghost" roaming around the Queen's house, but as you may have guessed, it was just the comedian floating from his bedroom to his bathroom, blissfully unaware of who he was spooking.
Around a month after moving in, a beefeater, the ceremonial guards that protect the Tower of London, famous for wearing a distinctive red uniform and stern face, pulled Houghton aside and said: "Tom, we keep on getting tourists coming up to us saying that they're seeing a naked ghost walking through the Queen's house."
The mortified man had been spotted on numerous occasions getting dressed or going to the toilet by nosy tourists who were so spooked that they were urged to report it to the guards.
Thankfully, he now sees the funny side and jokes, "I was the naked ghost of Queen's House, and I'm probably in multiple tourists' photos."
Why did a young comedian live in the Tower of London?
Houghton's father, General Sir Nicholas Houghton, held the most senior role in the British armed forces, the Chief of Defence Staff, following a long military career. When he retired in 2016, he was given the honorary role of the 160th Constable of the Tower of London, a prestigious position responsible for the historic fortress, which provided him with a house inside the UK's most popular tourist attraction.
Shortly after his father moved into the palace, Houghton decided to pursue a career in stand-up comedy and knew he needed to live in London to do so.
Recalling why he chose to move back in with his parents inside a historic haunted palace in his mid-twenties, Houghton explained: "I just had a choice of either renting a cupboard in zone six or I could move into the big palace. And I was like, I think I think I'll do that probably."
While Houghton loved the experience for the most part, coming back late at night after gigs and having to be let into the gated fortress by a ceremonial guard, and the fact that the wifi connection was terrible due to the thick ancient walls, he moved out in 2023 and now lives in a pokey one-bedroom flat much further out of town.