I toured the Queen's 'haunted' royal residence in Scotland to learn more about its murderous history

Every summer, typically near the end of June, the Queen has an annual visit to Edinburgh known as "Holyrood Week" or "Royal Week," as it's known in Scotland. She visits Scotland to honor its heritage and accomplishments.

It's worth noting, however, that the relationship between Scotland and England has always been fraught and remains so following the failed 2014 attempt for Scotland to leave the United Kingdom.

The palace is at the opposite end of the city to Edinburgh Castle and is across from the Scottish Parliament building.

Holyrood Abbey — an ancient monastery located in the grounds of Holyrood Palace — was actually founded before the palace, in 1128.

The abbey had royal chambers which were preferred by the country's monarchs to the nearby Edinburgh Castle, a royal residence at the time.

The building that we now know as Holyrood Palace was built next to the abbey during the early 1500s.

The palace is arguably most well-known as being the location where Mary Queen of Scots' private secretary David Rizzo was murdered in 1566, in an attack that many historians believe was orchestrated by her husband, Lord Darnely, who thought they were having an affair.

Some people now think that Rizzio's ghost haunts the building to this day.

I arrived in Edinburgh to beautiful blue skies and a view of the famous Edinburgh Castle.

Thankfully, I soon realized I wouldn't have to wait to be allowed through the gates — there was another entrance around the corner for visitors with tickets.

Interestingly, the iron gates are also fairly new, dating from the 1920s and built as a memorial to King Edward VII, according to the BBC.

The process of entering the building and receiving my guided audio tour headset went smoothly as there were hardly any other visitors that day. I also felt safe as visitors and staff wore masks.

The sunshine and blue skies, however, didn't exactly give me spooky Friday the 13th vibes.

I was surprised to hear Prince Charles' voice at the beginning of the audio tour, giving a personal introduction and thanking visitors for coming to the palace. This later became a theme on the tour, with further narrations from Charles, Princess Anne, and Prince Edward.

There were ropes along the side of the path preventing guests from standing on the lawn, however, I was able to follow the path to the other side, where the gift shop was located.

An oil painting of Queen Elizabeth II wearing ceremonial robes and the collar of the Order of the Thistle has been displayed in the center of the room since 2018.

I wasn't sure I was convinced by Anne's words. The further I traveled through the palace, the darker and eerier the rooms seemed to be.

At first, I thought it was related to the dark colors of the furnishings in the sitting room (pictured) compared to the bright, pastel colors in the dining room. However according to the Royal Collection Trust, on dull weather days, you should expect the lighting can be particularly dim in certain parts of the palace.

Perhaps this building isn't as large and grand as Buckingham Palace, but in no way did it feel small and intimate to a commoner like me.

There were various functions for all of the rooms, and the music room (pictured above) — formally titled the King's Closet —was initially designed to be used as a study but now instead features instruments on display.

The 25-step spiral staircase was narrow and dusty, bringing home the historical and creepy feel to the building.

These were the stairs climbed by the men who went on to kill David Rizzio in Queen Mary's private chambers upstairs.

Mary's bed chambers (pictured) has a curtain separating it from her supper chamber, which is where the Queen, her ladies, and Rizzio were dining on the night that he was murdered.

A group of armed men traveled up the spiral staircase, through Mary's bedroom and into the supper chamber, where they dragged Rizzio away and into the outer chamber.

This is the room Mary used to receive visitors, which is now used to display Stuart and Jacobite relics that have been collected by various Scottish monarchs.

It's also the room where Rizzio was killed, and legend says you can still see a bloodstain near the window where his body was left. While I didn't see any stain — it was too dark — I was starting to feel unsettled by the dark history of this building.

The now-grey skies and straggly looking tree made it look like a setting for a Halloween movie.

I was visiting during a weekday, so that was likely why there weren't many people around.

Or, perhaps, everyone else had enough sense not to visit a supposedly haunted palace on Friday the 13th.

As Scotland's capital city, Edinburgh majorly relies on its tourism. In fact, the top three most-visited tourist attractions in Scotland — the National Museum, Edinburgh Castle, and the Scottish National Gallery, respectively — are located here.

So it makes sense that the city would appear quieter without its usual influx of visitors from around the world during the COVID-19 pandemic.

While most of the tourist stores seemed to sell Scottish and historical souvenirs, this was one of the only stores I passed that seemed to celebrate the modern royal family.

Arthur's Seat was formed from an extinct volcano, creating an 882-feet hill that overlooks the city, including Holyrood Palace which sits directly opposite.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed my experience at the palace, and I especially loved that the audio tour was narrated by the royal family themselves.

I also enjoyed learning about the palace's dark past. The story of Mary Queen of Scots and David Rizzio is something that the royal family don't shy away from — maybe because, as Princess Anne said, they may not believe the rumors that it left the palace haunted.

While I can't say whether the palace is haunted, it certainly is the creepiest residence I've ever visited — and this will be remembered as one of the most amusing and unusual ways that I have ever spent Friday the 13th.

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