The Kensington Palace

The Kensington Palace is located in Kensington Gardens, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, in London. It has been functioning as a residence of the British Royal Family since the 17th century. Today, it is the official London residence of the Dukes and Duchesses of Cambridge, Kent and Gloucester, as well as, it is the residence of Prince Harry and the Prince and Princess of Kent. In the palace, the State Rooms are open to the public for sightseeing.

Story of the Kensington Palace

Originally, the Kensington Palace was purchased in 1619 by Heneage Finch, the 1st Earl of Nottingham. In the year of 1689, the residence was bought by King William and Queen Mary.

Through centuries the palace has accommodated many notable residents: Prince Augustus Frederick, Duke of Sussex, Prince Edward, Duke of Kent and Strathearn, Victoria, Duchess of Kent and many more. If one wishes to visit the palace, they are now able to choose from four different routes throughout the palace.

What you can see in Kensington Palace?

Each of them offers interactive experience, antique furniture, and other memorabilia of the residents. Queen Elizabeth’s wardrobe of 1950s is definitely worth mentioning.
Kensington Palace houses multiple exhibitions, for instance the ‘Diana: Her Fashion Story’. Every fashion passionate can trace the evolution of Princess’ creations.

Starting from romantic outfits to glamour and elegance. What is more, the collection of the palace includes extraordinary garments, such as Victor Edelstein’s iconic, ink blue, velvet gown, which was worn by the Princess during the dance with John Travolta in the White House. Another interesting tour is the ‘Funtastic Saturdays’.

This is an ideal choice for the families, filled with various activities such as the Time Explorers Station, where visitors can listen to the Story Time or take part in the Make History workshop. Moreover, one shouldn’t omit visiting the Kensington Gardens, which are jewels among the Royal Parks of London and are listed as Grade I on the Register of Historic Parks and Gardens.

Also you probably would like to visit Buckingham Palace.

 

The most interesting facts according to Connect-Click:

• In 1981, the Kensington Palace became the residence of the newly married Prince of Wales and his wife, Diana, Princess of Wales.
  The place remained the residence of the Princess even after the divorce, until her tragic death.
  After Diana’s death on the 31st of August 1997, the gates of Kensington Palace were covered with a more than one million of bouquets, reaching 1,5 m (5 ft).
• Kensington Palace is supposedly haunted by the ghost of King George II, Princess Sophia and „Peter the Wild Boy”, who suffered from Pitt Hopkins Syndrome.