Kensington Palace

Kensington Palace in the 18th century

The Kensington Palace (German "Kensington Palace") is a building that is used by members of the British royal family . The palace is located on Kensington Gardens in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in London .

Construction and history

Remodeled by Sir Christopher Wren , the castle was formerly a private estate and was owned by Mary II and William III in 1689 . expanded because they did not want to endure the moisture of Whitehall in winter . In the following 70 years the palace became more and more important for the social and political life of the country. During the lifetime of George I and George II , the property was furnished with lavish state rooms and received an outstanding collection of furniture and paintings. The elaborate ceiling decorations by William Kent are particularly well-known. After George II died in 1760, the building became less and less important. To this day, a ruling monarch has never lived here again.

Princess Victoria was born in Kensington Palace in 1819 and brought up there under the strict supervision of what is known as the Kensington System . When Victoria became the new queen in June 1837 after the death of her uncle William IV , she immediately moved to Buckingham Palace .

The palace was opened to the public for the first time in 1912. An exhibition of relics and other objects from the City of London took place, which attracted more than 13,000 visitors in just one day. Today you can admire the exhibits in the Museum of London .

use

For a long time only Edward, 2nd Duke of Kent , and his wife Katharine, Duchess of Kent , lived in parts of the palace, namely Wren House . In early 2013, Prince William and his wife Catherine moved into an apartment in Kensington Palace. After the birth of their daughter, the family lived temporarily in Anm Hall . Today William and Kate live in Apartment 1A together with their three children.

Since the announcement of her engagement inhabited Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex , the Nottingham Cottage before in the grounds of Kensington Palace in spring 2019 in the Frogmore Cottage attracted.

Diana resided there from 1981 until her death in 1997 . After extensive renovation, a large part of the palace is open to visitors.