Kensington Palace tour

Kensington Palace, set in Kensington Gardens, has been a royal residence since the seventeenth century. Its history includes several generations of the Royal Family, while parts of the estate remain private residences. Visitors explore selected historic public rooms, with the available route depending on current exhibitions and closures.

Diana, Princess of Wales, lived at Kensington Palace until her death in 1997, and Princess Margaret maintained a home here until her death in 2002. A visit to Kensington Palace explores its public history and collections; private homes and temporarily closed apartments are outside the visitor route.

The palace’s history

The palace developed from Nottingham House, an early-seventeenth-century country house. William III and Mary II bought it in 1689, seeking a home close to London but away from its smoky centre. For the king, who suffered from asthma, the setting had practical advantages. Kensington was easier to reach from the court than Hampton Court, while still offering a more rural environment. Improved routes through the royal parks connected the residence with central London.

Christopher Wren oversaw the enlargement of the house into a palace suited to royal life. New apartments, service spaces and formal rooms altered the modest original building, while gardens and approaches helped organise the estate around it. The resulting palace reflects adaptation and expansion rather than a single plan carried out all at once.

For about 70 years, Kensington was a favoured residence of successive monarchs, although St James’s retained its formal court role. Mary II died here in 1694; William III died in 1702 after injuries from a riding accident. Queen Anne then made the palace her home. The Orangery, built in 1704, and developments in the gardens belong to her period at Kensington.

From 1718, George I invested in new royal apartments and their decoration. William Kent’s work brought painted ceilings and theatrical settings to the palace, including the Cupola Room completed in 1722. That room later became the setting for the christening of Princess Victoria, who had been born at Kensington.

George II was the last reigning monarch to live at the palace. During his reign, Charles Bridgeman reshaped the gardens for Queen Caroline, helping establish the broader landscape enjoyed today. After the king’s death in 1760, Kensington continued to house other members of the Royal Family. Queen Mary, grandmother of the late Queen Elizabeth II, was born here in 1867.