Kensington Palace

Queen Victoria was born and brought up in Kensington Palace. In 1689 William III bought a mansion known as Nottingham House and commissioned Christopher Wren to extend and improve it. This included the Royal Apartments for the King and the Queen; the Royal Chapel; the Council Chember and the Great Stairs.

Of great historical importance, Kensington Palace was the favorite residence of successive sovereigns until 1760.

In 1897 plans were made to demolish it, but Queen Victoria, who did not want to have the building demolished while she was living, convinced the Parliament to restore Kensington Palace. After the restoration, the State Apartments were opened to the public May 24, 1899.

Today Kensington Palace in London is a working Royal residence. Parts of the palace remain a private residence for members of the Royal Family;

the State Apartments and Royal Ceremonial Dress Collection are open to the public.

It was formerly the London residence of Diana, Princess of Wales and bore the brunt of the tremendous public outpouring of sympathy following her 1997 death in the form of hundreds of thousands of bouquets of flowers piled upon the palace gates.

The tour inside the Palace is by taped audio guide so you can go at your own pace. The highlight of the Palace, at least for most women anyway, will be the dress collections of both the current Queen, Elizabeth II, and also Princess Diana. In addition to the basic taped commentary, you can also hear additional information on each of the dresses with the audio guide.

There is no photography allowed inside the Palace. Included on the London Pass, you can also purchase discount combination tickets for Kensington Palace and the Tower or Hampton Court.

Kensington gardens is a lovely and relaxing place. There is a giant pond with a lot of ducks and geese to feed. This palace is worth a visit.