This autumn the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge
will begin spending more time at Kensington Palace with their two adorable
children, Prince George and Princess Charlotte. The palace was also the birthplace and childhood home of Queen
Victoria, and Princess Diana lived here from the time of her marriage to Prince
Charles until her untimely death in Paris. Last summer Kensington Palace hosted
exhibitions on these two famous residents: Victoria Revealed and Fashion Rules
Restyled.
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| Kensington Palace, London |
Kensington Gardens and Hyde Park
After spending a morning indoors touring
museums in South Kensington we took a break at two of London’s eight Royal
Parks, Kensington Gardens and adjacent Hyde Park. Our first stop was the Lido Bar and
Café for a refreshing glass of Pimm’s. The café is located on a man-made lake
called the Serpentine near the Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fountain.
The Italian Gardens appeared in the film Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason. This ornamental
water garden was a gift to Queen Victoria from her husband, Prince Albert. The
Albert Memorial commemorates the prince consort’s death at
the age of 42.
Kensington Palace
Kensington Palace today is both a working
Royal residence and a Historic Royal Palace open to the public. The exhibition Victoria
Revealed explored the life of Britain’s longest reigning monarch (until Queen
Elizabeth II surpassed her in September 2015). Her coronation gown was surprisingly tiny. I've been enjoying the new drama about the monarch, Victoria, currently airing on PBS Masterpiece.
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| Statue of Queen Victoria, Kensington Palace |
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| Portrait of Queen Victoria |
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| The Room Where Princess Victoria was Born |
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| Queen Victoria's Coronation Gown |
There were many more dresses on display at Fashion
Rules Restyled including those worn by Diana, Princess of Wales, and items from
the wardrobes of Queen Elizabeth II and Princess Margaret. A new exhibition, Diana:
Her Fashion Story opens at Kensington Palace on the 24th of February. Entry
to the exhibitions is included with palace admission.
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| Fashion Rules Restyled at Kensington Palace |
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| Zandra Rhodes Dress Worn by Princess Diana in Japan |
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| Catherine Walker Gowns Worn by Princess Diana |
We’d planned to visit three Historic Royal
Palaces while in London (Kensington Palace, the Tower of London and Hampton
Court) so we purchased a joint one-year membership. The cost was less than the
combined individual admission prices and we skipped the ticket lines. (Membership
also includes admission to Kew Palace, the Banqueting House, and Hillsborough
Castle in Northern Ireland.) The Historic Royal Palaces web site has details on
the benefits of membership, which is not limited to UK residents.
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| Tower of London, a Historic Royal Palace |
Visitors to Kensington Palace can choose
between light refreshments in the casual Palace Café and a full afternoon tea
in the elegant Orangery (reservations are recommended). We’d just indulged in afternoon
tea the previous day on board the Belmond British Pullman train so we opted for
a simple cuppa on the Orangery terrace.
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| Palace Café Terrace and the Wiggly Walk |
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| The Sunken Garden |
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| The Orangery |
The northwest corner of Kensington Gardens is
home to the Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Playground (only adults with children are admitted) where charming elves and fairies are carved into the trunk of the Elfin
Oak.
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| Elfin Oak, by Ivor Innes (1930) |
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| Time Flies Clock Tower |
My Tip for the Day:
A Historic Royal Palaces membership could
save you both money and time in ticket lines.
Next: Harry Potter Studio Tour
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