Welcome to Kensington Palace

Kensington Palace was Princess Diana’s home after she married Prince Charles and when she later separated from him. It is where she bought up her two boys William and Harry, and would often walk them to nursery school in the mornings.

Kensington Palace was the centre of the Georgian Royal Court in the 18th century, but there was a very strict dress code. Woman had to be tightly laced into impossibly wide skirts which barely fit through the doorways, carry a fan, paint their faces white and wear feathers in their enormous hair constructions. Men, on the other hand, would opt for a wig, embroidered suit, silk stockings, and glittery pumps. The Georgian Court can be explored in the “Kings Apartments” At Kensington Palace, where period clothes are on display.

The Staircase of the “Kings Apartments” is one of the jewels of the Palace. The walls and ceiling are covered with frescoes painted by William Kent of eminent visitors to the palace. See if you can spot the artist himself, and the “Wild Boy,” a naked and completely silent teenage boy was found living in the woods near Hanover in Germany in 1725. He was brought to London and spent time at the courts of King George I and of his son and daughter-in-law, the Prince and Princess of Wales.

Queen Victoria was not only proclaimed Queen at Kensington Palace but also first laid her eyes on Prince Albert in the Palace. This was to lead to one of the Royal’s greatest love stories, resulting in 9 children, a wealth of personal love letters, and intimate diary entries. Delve into Victoria’s story in “Victoria Revealed” and discover how the loss of Albert at the young age of 42, nearly ended the monarchy.