Kensington Palace London

Kensington Palace is a fascinating place which oozes history. It was originally known as Nottingham House and was owned by the Earl of Nottingham. In 1689 William III bought the mansion off the Earl who was his Secretary of State and then went about improving the house. The private road was widened and Royal apartments for the King and Queen were constructed.

Queen Ann spent a lot of time at the Palace in the early 1700's. She extended some apartments, but mainly focused on improving the gardens. An orangery and some other garden buildings where constructed while she was Queen.

Queen Victoria was born in the Palace in 1819 and lived their right up to her accession to the throne which was in 1837 when she moved to Buckingham Palace. The grandparent of our present Queen, Queen Mary was also born there in 1867.

More recently the Palace is famously known as the home of the late Princess Diana. She lived in the West wing of the building until her shocking untimely death in 2002. Currently Prince and Princess Michael of Kent and the Duke and Duchess of Kent and also Duke and Duchess of Gloucester reside there. The three men are cousins of the Queen. Also residing are some people who currently work for the Queen and Prince Charles and offices where they carry out Royal administration.

Today the Palace is open to visitors. For the past year 'The Enchanted Place' exhibition has been open and is for another year. In the glorious state apartments leading fashion designers have created some truly spectacular installations using inspiration from those who lived there including as Diana. You will get to see many historic items, hear stories, see interactive theatre, and even some haunting film projections. Because each room has a story to tell, this exhibition is the perfect way to convey it.

You can stand in Queen Victoria bedroom and imagine what it was like to wake up one day and to find out she was to be Queen. You will also get to see the King's gallery and staircase which hasn't changed in decor since 1727.

Kensington Palace is just one of the many historic buildings found in London. Why not make a weekend of it and visit some of the other top attractions found in this fascinating capital.