What is Holyrood Week?

A summer royal visit with events

Holyroodhouse Quiz: The Royal Palace at the End of the Royal Mile

This Holyroodhouse quiz walks to the palace at the foot of Edinburgh's Royal Mile. Play an interactive set of 10 questions on Holyrood Abbey's 1128 founding by David I, Mary, Queen of Scots, the murder of David Rizzio in 1566, the rebuilding for Charles II, Bonnie Prince Charlie in 1745, Holyrood Week, Arthur's Seat and the Scottish Parliament opposite.

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🎯 Daily Trivia Challenge • 🧠 10 Questions • ⏱️ 150 Seconds

Question 1 / 10 Time: 150s

City
Which city is Holyroodhouse in?
Role
What is Holyroodhouse today?
Abbey
Who founded Holyrood Abbey in 1128?
Queen
Which queen lived at Holyrood in the 1560s?
Murder
Who was murdered in her apartments in 1566?
Rebuild
For which king was the palace largely rebuilt in the 1670s?
Prince
Who held court at Holyrood in 1745?
Week
What is Holyrood Week?
Hill
Which ancient volcano rises behind the palace?
Parliament
Which modern building stands opposite the palace?

Explanations: answer key for all 10 questions

Q1: Which city is Holyroodhouse in?
Answer: Edinburgh
It sits at one end of the Royal Mile.
Q2: What is Holyroodhouse today?
Answer: The monarch's official residence in Scotland
The King stays there each summer.
Q3: Who founded Holyrood Abbey in 1128?
Answer: King David I
Ruins of the abbey remain beside the palace.
Q4: Which queen lived at Holyrood in the 1560s?
Answer: Mary, Queen of Scots
Her chambers can be visited.
Q5: Who was murdered in her apartments in 1566?
Answer: David Rizzio
He was her private secretary.
Q6: For which king was the palace largely rebuilt in the 1670s?
Answer: Charles II
Baroque rooms were added.
Q7: Who held court at Holyrood in 1745?
Answer: Bonnie Prince Charlie
He led the Jacobite rising.
Q8: What is Holyrood Week?
Answer: A summer royal visit with events
Garden parties are held.
Q9: Which ancient volcano rises behind the palace?
Answer: Arthur's Seat
It is in Holyrood Park.
Q10: Which modern building stands opposite the palace?
Answer: The Scottish Parliament
It opened in 2004.

Mary, Queen of Scots and a Palace by Arthur's Seat

The Palace of Holyroodhouse stands at the foot of Edinburgh's Royal Mile, with Edinburgh Castle at the other end. It grew beside Holyrood Abbey, founded in 1128 by King David I, whose roofless ruins still stand next to the palace. Today it is the monarch's official residence in Scotland.

Mary, Queen of Scots lived at Holyrood in the 1560s. In 1566 her private secretary David Rizzio was murdered in her apartments, and visitors can still see her chambers. The palace was largely rebuilt for Charles II in the 1670s, and in 1745 Bonnie Prince Charlie held court there during the Jacobite rising.

Each summer the King stays at Holyrood for Holyrood Week, with garden parties and ceremonies. Behind the palace rises Arthur's Seat, an ancient volcano in Holyrood Park, and opposite stands the Scottish Parliament building, opened in 2004.

What This Quiz Teaches

History fans will enjoy these questions.

What the palace is today
How it began
Who lived there
Which events happened there
What surrounds it

Did You Know?

The Queen's Gallery at Holyrood shows royal art.
The palace has a long gallery of Scottish king portraits.
Holyrood Park offers walks to Salisbury Crags.
Visitors can tour the state apartments when the royals are away.
The palace gardens host summer events.