Kensington Palace

London is home to many royal residences but Kensington Palace is one of the most beautiful. Many kings and queens of England have built or bought palaces to use as family homes, workplaces and as centres of government through out the centuries and Kensington Palace is a classic example of a working Royal residence. Why not book a stay at Georgian House Hotel when you visit Kensington Palace?

The Palace is set in Kensington Gardens in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in London. It has been a royal home for over 300 years and parts of the palace have remained a private residence for members of the Royal Family today.

Kensington Palace is of great historical importance. Kensington Palace was the favourite residence of successive sovereigns until 1760 when George II died.

Queen Mary, the grandmother of the present Queen Elizabeth was born at Kensington in 1867. It was also the birthplace and childhood home of Queen Victoria. It had been expected that Victoria would reign from either Kensington or St James's Palace but almost immediately she moved to Buckingham Palace and never again stayed at Kensington.

The original early 17th-century building was constructed in the village of Kensington and was known originally as Nottingham House. In 1689 William III bought the Jacobean mansion from his Secretary of State, the Earl of Nottingham. Christopher Wren was commissioned to extend and improve the house. This included the construction of Royal Apartments for the King and Queen, a council chamber, the Chapel Royal and the Great Stairs.

Kensington Palace Today

Kensington Palace is run by Historic Royal Palaces. It is an independent charity that looks after the Tower of London, Hampton Court Palace, the Banqueting House, Kensington Palace and Kew Palace.

Kensington Palace is furnished with items from the Royal Collection. Today it is home to the offices and London residences of The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, The Duke and Duchess of Kent and Prince and Princess Michael of Kent. Princess Margaret, Diana, Princess of Wales and Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester used to live in Kensington Palace and have their offices there.

Visiting Kensington Palace

Historic parts of Kensington Palace are open to the public and make a great day out. Some highlights include:

• The Kings Apartment with a superb collection of Old Masters, Tintoretto and Van Dyck.
• Magnificent State Apartments
• The Royal Ceremonial Dress Collection

The shop at Kensington Palace been refurbished and is now in keeping with the style of the palace. It sells a variety of gifts ranging from exclusively designed china to lace accessories, guidebooks and postcards, and you don’t need a palace ticket to visit the shop.

The Palace is open everyday and makes a great day out for all the family.