Kensington Palace facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Kensington Palace |
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Kensington Palace in November 2006
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| General information | |
| Town or city | Kensington London, W8 |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Coordinates | 51°30′19″N 0°11′18″W / 51.505278°N 0.188333°W |
| Owner | King Charles III in right of the Crown |
Kensington Palace is a royal home in Kensington Gardens, London, England. It has been a residence for the British royal family since the 1600s. Today, it is the official London home for several members of the royal family. These include the Prince and Princess of Wales. It is also home to the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester. The Duke and Duchess of Kent also live here. Other residents are Prince and Princess Michael of Kent, and Princess Eugenie with her family.
Sometimes, "Kensington Palace" is used to mean the offices of the royals who live there. The palace's grand State Rooms are open to the public. They are looked after by Historic Royal Palaces, a charity that doesn't get money from the government. The private homes and offices within the palace are still managed by the Royal Household. The palace also shows off many beautiful paintings and items from the Royal Collection.
Contents
A Royal Home: Kensington Palace History
Early Days: King William III and Queen Mary II
Kensington Palace began as a two-story house built in 1605. It was in the small village of Kensington.
In 1689, King William and Queen Mary became joint rulers. King William had asthma, so they needed a healthier home. Their old home, Whitehall Palace, was too close to the foggy River Thames. So, in the summer of 1689, they bought Nottingham House for £20,000.
They asked Sir Christopher Wren, a famous architect, to make the house bigger. To save time and money, Wren kept the main building. He added a three-story section to each corner. This gave more space for the King, Queen, and their helpers. The Queen's rooms were in the north-west, and the King's in the south-east.
Wren changed the house to face west. He added new wings to create a grand entrance. The palace was surrounded by neat, formal gardens in the Dutch style. The royal court moved in just before Christmas 1689. For the next 70 years, Kensington Palace was the favorite home for British monarchs. Even so, the official royal seat remained at St. James's Palace.
More changes were made soon after. Queen Mary made her apartments larger by adding the Queen's Gallery. After a fire in 1691, the King's Staircase was rebuilt with marble. A Guard Chamber was also built. King William added the South Front, designed by Nicholas Hawksmoor. This included the King's Gallery, where he displayed his art collection. Queen Mary II sadly died of smallpox at the palace in 1694. In 1702, King William died at Kensington Palace after a fall from his horse.
Queen Anne's Time at the Palace
After King William III died, Queen Anne lived at the palace. She had Christopher Wren finish the additions that William and Mary had started. This created the Queen's Apartments. It included the Queen's Entrance and a simple staircase. This staircase had shallow steps, making it easy for Anne to walk down gracefully. These rooms were mainly used to connect her private rooms to the gardens.
Queen Anne's biggest contribution was to the gardens. She ordered the building of the Orangery, designed by Hawksmoor and changed by John Vanbrugh. It was built in 1704. The inside of the Orangery is very fancy, with carvings by Grinling Gibbons. It was used not just for plants, but also for parties. A huge 12-hectare (30-acre) baroque garden was designed by Henry Wise. It had fancy patterns and cone-shaped trees.
Kensington Palace was where Queen Anne had her last big argument with Sarah, Duchess of Marlborough. Sarah was known for being bossy. She was jealous of the Queen's friendship with Abigail Masham, Baroness Masham. After Anne's husband, Prince George of Denmark, died at the palace in 1708, their friendship ended. Queen Anne died at Kensington Palace on August 1, 1714.
Kings George I and George II at Kensington Palace
King George I spent a lot of money on new royal apartments. He created three new state rooms: the Privy Chamber, the Cupola Room, and the Withdrawing Room. He hired William Kent in 1722 to decorate these rooms. Kent used clever trick-of-the-eye paintings on the ceilings and walls. The Cupola Room was Kent's first job for the King. Its domed ceiling was painted in gold and blue.
King George I liked Kent's work. From 1722 to 1727, Kent decorated all the royal rooms at Kensington Palace. Kent's last project was the King's Grand Staircase. He painted 45 interesting people from the Georgian court on it. This included the King's Turkish servants and even himself. King George I also added an apartment for his mistress, Melusine von der Schulenburg, Duchess of Kendal.
The last king to live at Kensington Palace was George II. He didn't make many big changes to the palace. He let his wife, Queen Caroline, manage it. Queen Caroline asked Charles Bridgeman, the royal gardener, to redesign Kensington Gardens. Many of his designs are still there today, like The Serpentine lake and the Round Pond. After his wife died, King George II didn't look after many rooms. The palace started to fall apart. King George II died at Kensington Palace on October 25, 1760.
Famous People Who Lived Here
19th Century Royal Residents
After King George III became king in 1760, Kensington Palace was used by less important royals. Prince Augustus Frederick, Duke of Sussex, George III's sixth son, got rooms in the south-west part of the palace in 1805. He loved arts and science. He had a huge library with over 50,000 books. He also had many clocks and singing birds that flew freely in his rooms. He hosted scientists at the palace.
The Duke of Sussex caused a stir by marrying twice without the King's approval. His second wife, Cecilia Underwood, Duchess of Inverness, was never officially recognized as the Duchess of Sussex. She was made Duchess of Inverness in 1840. The Duke died at Kensington Palace in 1843. Because he had many debts, his belongings, including his library, were sold. The Duchess of Inverness stayed at the palace until she died in 1873.
Prince Edward, Duke of Kent and Strathearn, George III's fourth son, got rooms in the south-east part. He renovated them. His daughter, Alexandrina Victoria, was born there on May 24, 1819. Her christening was held in the Cupola Room. The Duke of Kent died nine months after his daughter was born.
Princess Victoria grew up at the palace. Her childhood was not happy or easy. This was due to the "Kensington System" set up by her mother, Victoria, Duchess of Kent, and her mother's strict helper, Sir John Conroy. Princess Sophia, Victoria's aunt, also lived there. Conroy took advantage of her old age and blindness. He wasted most of her money. She died at Kensington Palace in 1848.
In 1837, Princess Alexandrina Victoria was told that her uncle, King William IV, had died. This meant she was now queen. She chose the name Victoria and held her first meeting as queen at the palace. Queen Victoria soon moved to Buckingham Palace. She gave rooms at Kensington Palace to her family and old staff. This included the Duke and Duchess of Teck. Their daughter, Queen Mary (King Charles III's great-grandmother), was born at Kensington Palace in 1867.
In 1873, Princess Louise, Duchess of Argyll, lived in an apartment with her husband. She later designed and sculpted the Statue of Queen Victoria, Kensington Palace. This apartment became her main home after her husband died in 1914. She lived there until her death in 1939. In 1955, this apartment was given to the widowed Princess Marina, Duchess of Kent. Louise's younger sister, Princess Beatrice, also lived in apartments at the palace.
20th Century Royal Residents
During World War I, George V allowed some palace rooms to be used for Irish prisoners of war and soldiers. He also made sure royals living there followed the same food rules as everyone else. In 1921, Victoria, Marchioness of Milford Haven, moved into an apartment. Her grandson, Prince Philip, sometimes lived with her there. Because so many royal relatives lived there in the 1920s and 1930s, Edward VIII called the palace "the aunt heap."
Kensington Palace was badly damaged during The Blitz in 1940. An incendiary bomb hit it, damaging many buildings, especially the Queen's Apartments. Repairs took several years. After the war, Prince Philip stayed with his grandmother before his marriage to Princess Elizabeth (later Queen Elizabeth II) in 1947.
In 1955, Princess Marina, Duchess of Kent, moved into Apartment 1. This apartment was then divided, creating Apartment 1A. The stylish Duchess of Kent lived there until she died in 1968.
After their wedding in 1960, Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon, Queen Elizabeth II's sister, and the Earl of Snowdon, moved into Apartment 10. They then transformed the much larger Apartment 1A. The renovation was done on a strict budget. By 1962, the inside was completely redone. The new apartment had main living rooms, bedrooms, and staff rooms. It had a modern look with bold colors like pink and kingfisher blue. They moved into Apartment 1A in 1963.
Prince and Princess Richard of Gloucester moved into Apartment 1 after their marriage in 1972. This 21-room house was where they raised their three children. In 1994, they moved the Duke's mother, Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester, to Kensington Palace. She died there in 2004 at 102, becoming the oldest person in British royal family history.
The Queen gave the keys to Apartment 10 to Prince and Princess Michael of Kent when they married in 1978. Their children grew up there. In 1996, Prince Michael's older brother, Prince Edward, Duke of Kent and his wife Katharine moved into Wren House on the palace grounds.
In 1981, Apartments 8 and 9 were combined to create a home for the newly married Prince of Wales and Diana, Princess of Wales. It remained Diana's home after their divorce until her death. Their sons, Princes William and Harry, grew up there. The palace was a "children's paradise" for them, with long hallways and gardens.
After Diana's death on August 31, 1997, the gates of Kensington Palace became a place of public mourning. Over a million bouquets of flowers were left there. Diana's coffin spent its last night in London at the palace. On September 6, 1997, her funeral procession left the palace for Westminster Abbey. Her home was emptied and stayed vacant for 10 years. It was later split back into two apartments.
21st Century Royal Residents
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After their marriage in 2011, the then-Duke and Duchess of Cambridge first lived in Nottingham Cottage. They then moved into the four-story, 20-room Apartment 1A in 2013. This was Princess Margaret's old home. Renovations took 18 months and cost £4.5 million. This included new heating, electrics, and a new roof.
Kensington Palace became their main home in 2017. The apartment has four floors, with three bedrooms, two nurseries, and five living rooms. In 2016, Diana's old home, Apartment 8, became office space for the couple's staff and charity work. The Duke and Duchess have hosted many events at the palace.
In 2012, Prince Harry moved into a one-bedroom apartment at Kensington Palace. From 2013, he lived at Nottingham Cottage. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex lived there until their son was born in 2019.
In April 2018, Princess Eugenie moved into Ivy Cottage at Kensington Palace. She lived there with her husband Jack Brooksbank. In September 2019, the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester moved to the Old Stables, a smaller home on the palace estate. In 2022, the Prince and Princess of Wales moved their family home to Adelaide Cottage near Windsor Castle. Kensington Palace is still their official London residence and where their offices are located.
Inside and Outside the Palace
Kensington Palace has many public and private apartments and homes. About 50 people live there in total. Besides royals, it also houses military members, staff, and citizens who pay rent.
King and Queen's State Apartments
The King's and Queen's State Apartments are grand rooms. They were historically used by monarchs and their partners. The King's State Apartments were for important meetings. The Queen's State Apartments were where queens lived and entertained. These state apartments first opened to the public in 1899. They closed at times during the World Wars but reopened permanently in 1949.
The King's Staircase leads into the King's State Apartments. It has a painting by William Kent showing King George I's royal court. The apartment has several reception rooms. The Presence Chamber has a wooden fireplace where the king met ministers. The Privy Chamber was a favorite place for Queen Caroline to entertain. The Cupola Room is called the "most splendidly decorated room in the palace," also by Kent.
The King's Drawing Room was where courtiers sought power. It has a copy of Venus and Cupid by Giorgio Vasari. The King's Gallery, built for William III, is decorated with red and gold. It was used for exercise and showing paintings. It has many works by Kent, including Charles I at the Hunt by Anthony van Dyck.
The Queen's State Apartments are the rooms where Mary II and later queens lived. The Queen's Staircase is simpler than the King's. It leads to the gardens. The Queen's Gallery, built in 1693, was once filled with Turkish carpets. It was a place for Mary to walk, read, and do needlework. The Queen's Dining Room is where Mary and William ate privately. The Queen's Drawing Room has decorations from China and Japan. Mary's bedroom, where she entertained friends, is also part of these apartments.
Apartment 1
Apartment 1 is a royal home in the southwest part of the palace. It has 21 rooms and a private garden. It also has connecting doors to Apartment 1A. It is the second-biggest home in the palace. It once had a large library belonging to Prince Augustus Frederick.
Apartment 1A
Apartment 1A is a royal residence with four floors and 20 rooms. It has five living rooms, each with a fireplace. It also has three bedrooms, dressing rooms, and two nurseries. The top floor has nine staff bedrooms. The basement has a luggage room, gym, and laundry rooms. There are three kitchens: one for the family and two for staff. The home overlooks a large, private garden.
The entrance hall has fancy crown moulding and black-and-white tiles. The apartment has art and furniture from the Royal Collection. The Duchess of Cambridge decorated it with furniture from IKEA. The inside has warm beige colors and floral pillows.
Apartments 8 & 9
Apartments 8 & 9 are two connected homes in the northern part of the main palace. The apartment has three floors. When it was a family home, the top floor was entirely a nursery. Other rooms included two living rooms, a drawing room (which was also Diana's office), and a formal dining room. In 1981, the apartments were combined for Prince Charles and Diana, Princess of Wales.
The home had a helicopter pad and many outdoor gardens. Diana decorated the home with "bold patterns and lush fabrics." She used floral wallpaper and a mix of modern and old furniture. Since 1997, these apartments have been used as office space for charities and staff.
Apartment 10
Apartment 10 is a home in the north-east part of the palace, in the public gardens. This three-story apartment has five bedrooms and five living rooms. Former resident Princess Margaret called it "the doll's house."
Wren House
Wren House is named after architect Christopher Wren. It is near other cottages on the palace grounds. It has five bedrooms and five living rooms. It is a more modest home within the palace. Wren House is said to have the "best view" of the palace's walled gardens.
Nottingham Cottage
Nottingham Cottage is a home near other cottages on the palace grounds. It is described as a "cozy property." It has two bedrooms, two living rooms, and a small garden.
Ivy Cottage
Ivy Cottage is a home near other cottages on the palace grounds. It has three bedrooms. Princess Eugenie reportedly renovated it, adding "lots of pops of colour" and art.
Old Stables
The Old Stables is a home near other cottages on the palace grounds. When Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester and Birgitte, Duchess of Gloucester lived there, it was decorated with "old wooden furniture" and "bright turquoise walls."
Other Residences
The King's Kitchen Cottages and the Upper Lodge are homes for staff.
Chapel
The Kensington Palace Chapel was built in the 1830s. It was used for private family services. It was later changed into living space. In 2002, it was restored as a chapel. The space is about 9 meters long. It has old features and oak wall panels. Renaissance era art from the Royal Collection hangs in the room. Family events like weddings and christenings have taken place here.
Kensington Palace: A Tourist Attraction
By the late 1800s, the State Rooms were in bad shape. The bricks were falling apart, and the wood had rot. Some people wanted to tear down the palace. But Queen Victoria said that as long as she lived, the palace where she was born would not be destroyed. In 1897, money was approved for its restoration. It was finished two years later. The State Rooms opened to the public on Queen Victoria's birthday, May 24, 1899. This started the palace's role as both a private royal home and a public museum.
Queen Mary helped open the State Apartments as a temporary home for the London Museum from 1911 to 1914. The museum returned from 1950 to 1976.
In 1989, the care for the Kensington Palace State Rooms was given to Historic Royal Palaces Agency. This group became an independent charity in 1998. Under this charity, the State Rooms had a two-year, £12 million renovation. This was paid for by donations. New staff uniforms were designed by Stuart Stockdale at Jaeger.
The palace reopened in 2012 for the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II. Visitors can now choose four different paths through the palace. These paths offer exhibits with digital presentations and interactive experiences. They bring to life the stories of famous residents. These include William and Mary, George I and II, and Queen Victoria. You can even rent out parts of the Palace!
A fourth exhibit shows clothes worn by Queen Elizabeth in the 1950s. It also features Princess Margaret from the 1960s and 70s, and Diana, Princess of Wales, from the 1980s. The palace grounds were also improved. Two new public gardens were added to the south and east of the palace. These connect the property to Kensington Gardens.
The closest tube stations are Queensway, Bayswater, High Street Kensington, or Gloucester Road.
In October 2011, Disney and Historic Royal Palaces hosted "Rapunzel's Royal Celebration." Rapunzel from Tangled was officially made the tenth Disney Princess. All nine other Disney Princesses attended. They arrived by carriage through Hyde Park. About 10,000 people watched the procession. Over 100 girls from 25 countries attended the ceremony inside the palace.
See also
In Spanish: Palacio de Kensington para niños
- Kensington Gardens
- Kensington Palace Gardens
- List of British royal residences
