Mary of Guise

The Legend

From the windows of Court Residence, guests look directly across to the ruins of Linlithgow Palace, where one of Scotland’s most frequently witnessed ghosts continues her eternal walk. A woman in blue robes moves from the palace entrance towards St Michael’s Parish Church, her form dense and unmistakable against the ancient stonework. This is Mary of Guise, the formidable French queen who ruled Scotland as regent and gave birth to the nation’s most famous monarch within these very walls.

The History

Mary of Guise arrived in Scotland in 1538 as the bride of King James V. She bore him two sons who died in infancy before giving birth to Mary Stuart on 8 December 1542 at Linlithgow Palace. James V died just six days later, leaving his infant daughter as Queen of Scotland. Mary of Guise spent years navigating the treacherous waters of Scottish politics, eventually becoming Regent of Scotland in 1554.

Her regency proved turbulent. Protestant reformers challenged Catholic authority, and her French connections drew suspicion. She governed from Linlithgow Palace when possible, preferring its relative peace to Edinburgh’s political cauldron. The palace became her sanctuary, a place where she could momentarily escape the conspiracies that surrounded her reign.

Mary of Guise died on 11 June 1560, exhausted by the religious conflicts that tore Scotland apart. Her body was initially kept at Edinburgh Castle before being transported to France for burial at Rheims. Her spirit, however, appears to have remained at the palace where she experienced both her greatest joy and deepest sorrows.

The Hauntings

The blue-robed apparition follows a consistent path. She emerges from the main entrance of Linlithgow Palace and walks purposefully towards St Michael’s Parish Church, the same route Mary of Guise would have taken during her life to attend religious services. The figure wears distinctive blue robes - sometimes described as blue-grey, other times as blue-white - that mark her as someone of royal status.

Witnesses describe her form as unusually solid for a ghost. She appears as a dense figure rather than a transparent shade, making sightings all the more startling for those who encounter her. The apparition moves with purpose, never acknowledging observers, repeating her journey from palace to church in what researchers classify as a classic residual haunting.

A particularly distinctive aspect of these encounters is the perfume that accompanies the sightings. Witnesses report smelling a delicate fragrance moments before or during the apparition’s appearance, as if the ghost carries the scent of a 16th-century queen’s toilette with her across the centuries.

Witness Accounts

Visitors to Linlithgow Palace have reported sightings throughout the 20th and 21st centuries. The consistency of descriptions - the blue robes, the purposeful walk, the direction of travel - lends credibility to accounts that span generations. Staff at the palace have documented numerous reports from tourists who did not know the ghost’s history before their encounter.

Guests staying at Court Residence occupy a unique vantage point. The former Sheriff Court building, converted to an aparthotel in the 2010s, stands directly opposite the palace. From its windows, observers have an unobstructed view of the very grounds where Mary of Guise makes her spectral walk. Those with rooms facing the palace ruins have reported seeing unusual lights and figures among the stonework after dark.

Investigation and Evidence

Linlithgow Palace ranks among Scotland’s most investigated haunted locations. Paranormal researchers have conducted numerous studies within the palace grounds, attempting to document the blue lady’s appearances. The site features in Scottish ghost tourism guides and paranormal investigation programmes.

The historical evidence for Mary of Guise’s presence at Linlithgow is beyond dispute. Palace records, royal correspondence, and contemporary accounts all confirm her long residence there. The specific nature of the haunting - a queen walking to church - aligns perfectly with the documented religious devotion that characterized her life and regency.

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This ghost story is part of the haunted history of Court Residence. Book a stay to experience the paranormal atmosphere for yourself.