»Ghosts cast a shadow over summit«

European Union (EU) leaders plotting the future at Hampton Court Palace this week may find some uninvited guests from the past in their midst.

The Tudor palace on the north bank of the Thames proudly claims to be one of the most haunted places in England.

"We have lots of ghosts. I have never seen one myself, but I was once opening a door and I was sure someone pulled it open from the other side - but there was no one there," palace spokeswoman Vikki Wood said.

Henry VIII, the powerful and lecherous King of England from 1509-1547, brought all six of his wives to the palace and two of them appear to have stayed on.

Henry's third wife Jane Seymour, who died in the rambling palace giving birth to his only son Edward in 1537, is said to still walk the cobbled courtyards clad in white and carrying a lighted taper.

Henry's fifth wife Catherine Howard, executed for adultery in 1541, has been seen running down the corridors pleading for her life.

Visitors to the palace, which has been open to the public since 1838, have described seeing a distraught woman and experiencing feelings of fear and discomfort.

If they find themselves distracted by the ghosts or simply in need of some fresh air, the EU leaders can always step outside for a stroll in the 60 acres of formal gardens or 750 acres of deer park around the palace.

But - probably fortuitously, given the analogies it could prompt in the popular press - they will not be trying to find their way through the palace's famous maze.

"It is not on their agenda," Ms Wood said.

But - probably fortuitously, given the analogies it could prompt in the popular press - they will not be trying to find their way through the palace's famous maze.

"It is not on their agenda," Ms Wood said.

In the past, EU leaders gathered regularly at a palace, chateau or scenic resort so that they could at least enjoy luxurious surroundings as they quarrelled into the early hours.

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they would puff cigars and exchange visions of the EU's future, in the way they once did when there was only a handful of member states instead of today's 25.

European Union leaders moved no closer to resolving their divisions over a new EU budget Thursday, nor how to appease renewed French threats of vetoing world trade talks amid calls that Europe needs to accept urgent reforms to keep up with rising economic powers China and India.