Kensington Palace – Visiting an Iconic Royal Residence

Kensington Palace is definitely one of my favourite royal palaces in London. The palace where 18 year old Princess Victoria became Queen, Princess Margaret entertained the in-crowd in the swinging sixties and Princess Diana brought up her children is still very much a working Royal palace today. It is the London base of the Prince and Princess of Wales, as well other senior Royals.

The inhabitants of Kensington Palace all have separate dwellings within and outside of the palace. For example, Apartment 1A, where the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge live, is a 4 storey, 20 bedroom home. There are also cottages and small houses in the private grounds.

The private homes at Kensington Palace are accessed by a separate entrance and security is understandably tight. However, you can visit many of the historic portions of the palace which are cared for by Historic Royal Palaces, an independent charity.

Kensington Palace – The King’s State Apartments and The Queen’s State Apartments

The King’s State Apartments date from the Georgian era (King George I and onwards). The Queen’s State Apartments were the home of King William III and Queen Mary II, the only monarchs in British history to reign jointly. The King’s State apartments were used for audiences and meetings and are very grand, with opulent furniture and priceless artworks lining the walls. The Queen’s State Apartments are slightly more modest but still breathtaking, a place where the King and Queen could dine together out of the public eye.

Victoria – A Royal Childhood

Victoria: A Royal Childhood is a deep dive into the not always happy childhood of the Princess Victoria. You can see her sketchbooks and some of her toys, as well as visit the room she was born in. I was fascinated to find out that baby Victoria was delivered by Mademe Siebold, a well respected female obstetrician. Female doctors of any kind were sadly pretty rare in those days. Madame Siebold also delivered the baby who would become Queen Victoria’s husband, Prince Albert.

You can read the diary entry written by the then Princess Victoria, the night she met Prince Albert. The diary entry is displayed in the exact place she stood when she first laid eyes on him. Walking through the door Queen Victoria walked through into the Red Saloon to meet her first Privy Council the day she became an Empress is both moving and evocative. As a history buff, I found it very exciting to walk in her footsteps. You can also see the strikingly tiny dress worn by Victoria, which made me think about how very young she was on that fateful day. How daunting to be one of the most powerful people in the world at the tender age of 18!

As I moved through to the rooms she lived and worked in, words from Queen Victoria’s diaries were everywhere – on the carpet, on the display cases, and on squares of card hanging from red ribbons. I saw her letters and her sketchbook from when she was a child as well as some of her dresses.

The uniform Prince Albert wore on their wedding day bears her loving words embroidered on the back of the collar, on each cuff and on the tails of his blazer.

“Excellent Albert”, “Oh My Angel Albert”, “dearly loved” and more, the words of a bride head over heels in love with her groom. Queen Victoria’s wedding dress was displayed with the words “Oh, this was the happiest day of my life”.

The exhibit gives the feeling of walking through Queen Victoria’s life and I had tears in my eyes by the end.

A Walk in Kensington Palace Gardens

To finish off the adventure, there’s nothing like a walk through Kensington Gardens, which adjoin the palace. They used to be the private palace gardens but are now one of London’s eight Royal Parks. Kensington Gardens also the home of the famous The Princess Diana Memorial Statue and The Diana Memorial Playground, the Peter Pan statue, the Serpentine Gardens and the Albert Memorial. I particularly like the Queen Victoria statue in front of Kensington Palace, which was lovingly designed by her daughter Princess Louise (Duchess of Argyll) in 1893.

You can spend hours wandering in Kensington Gardens on a fine day. The lake is particularly beautiful.  Also, you never know who you might see. Several years ago, the then Duchess of Cambridge was photographed walking the family dog there.

Whether you are into history, a fan of the royal family, or just enjoy a good day out, Kensington Palace is a wonderful place to visit. If you’d like to share in the adventure, check out the Historic Royal Palaces website.

This post contains my honest opinions and the advice I give to friends. My husband and I are Historic Royal Palaces Members and we paid all our own expenses. Information is correct to the best of my knowledge at the time of writing, and  every effort is made to ensure it remains up to date, however I am not responsible for any changes that may occur post publication or for your experience. Always visit restaurant and venue websites for opening times, their full terms and conditions, and to check prices, availability and payment terms.

More Wonderful Palaces

Buckingham Palace

Windsor Castle and St George’s Chapel

Highclere Castle – the real Downton Abbey

Burghley House – An Elizabethan Castle Like No Other

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