Kensington Palace

William III bought Nottingham House in 1689 because his asthma could not stand Whitehall, and Wren enlarged it into Kensington Palace, which was the principal royal residence until George II died there in 1760. Victoria was born in the palace in 1819 and lived there under the restrictive Kensington System until she became queen at eighteen and moved out within weeks; the rooms she used are shown with her own possessions and writings. The King's State Apartments have a painted staircase and ceiling by William Kent. Members of the royal family still live in parts of the building, which is closed. The Sunken Garden outside was replanted in 2021 with a statue of Diana, who lived here from 1981 to 1997.

What you actually see

• Victoria's rooms - the apartments she grew up in, with her own things.
• The King's Staircase - William Kent's painted court scenes on the walls.
• The Sunken Garden - a formal garden with the Diana statue added in 2021.
• The Orangery - Hawksmoor's 1704 building in the gardens.

When to go

April to September, when Kensington Gardens are at their best; the Sunken Garden flowers from late spring. The palace is open year-round with shorter winter hours and closes on some days for royal use.

Honest expectations

Only part of the palace is open, since the rest is occupied. The visit is smaller than Hampton Court and takes a couple of hours. Tickets are expensive for the amount of building accessible.

Nearby

Kensington Gardens and Hyde Park adjoin; the Albert Memorial and Royal Albert Hall are south.