Kensington Palace
About Kensington Palace
The feminine influence of generations of royal women has shaped this stylish palace and elegant gardens. The palace first became a royal residence for William III and Mary II in 1689. The magnificent State Apartments showcase some of the most breath taking examples of the architect and painter William Kent’s work. This sumptuous series of rooms include the Cupola Room where Princess Victoria was christened.
The palace is home to an exquisite collection of English court dress, a unique archive of royal fashion from the 18th century to the present day and includes Diana, Fashion and Style an exhibition exploring the impact on fashion and shift in style from a demure young princess to that of an international celebrity – glamorous and elegant, featuring several of the couture dresses worn by Diana, Princess of Wales.
A special exhibition, The Last Debutantes, included in admission until June 2009, draws visitors into the world of the debutante and the bewildering rules of etiquette and the dizzying schedule of presentations, cocktail parties and dances.
Please note, the email address below is for corporate hospitality enquiries.
| Opening Times | 1 March-31 October: (Daily: 10.00-18.00) Last admission 17.00 Closed: 24-26 Dec. |
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Kensington Palace Address
| Address: |
Kensington Gardens, London
London
W8 4PX
|
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| Telephone: | 0844 4827777 |
| Fax: | +44 (0)20 7376 0198 |
| Email: | events@hrp.org.uk |
| Website: | http://www.hrp.org.uk/KensingtonPalace/ |
Location Information for Kensington Palace
| Address: |
Kensington Gardens, London
London
W8 4PX
|
|---|---|
| Telephone: | 0844 4827777 |
| Fax: | +44 (0)20 7376 0198 |
| Email: | events@hrp.org.uk |
| Website: | http://www.hrp.org.uk/KensingtonPalace/ |
| Public transport: | High Street Kensington - Turn right out of station. Entrance to the park is signposted. |
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Reviews of Kensington Palace
Visit London review of Kensington Palace
Traveller Rating:
Based on 16 reviews
Latest 5 reviews of Kensington Palace
3 * for the Palace, but 5 * for the Orangerie Restaurant
Tickets to Kensington Palace are shockingly expensive, but the tour started off well enough, with several rooms with large glass cases with wax figures getting prepared for a Royal event. After the first three rooms or so, though, it turned into "filler" material- Interesting and vaguely amusing exhibition, but not worth the price of the ticket. Things pick up when you go back upstairs into the Palace, but in all honesty, if you're planning to go to Windsor, skip this. The rooms are lovely, but many are unfurnished, and even the audio tour kind of peters out, like it really doesn't have much more to say. DO stop a moment and look at the staggeringly beautiful (and probably staggeringly heavy!) silver court gown at the end of the tour.
The actual highlight of Kensington Palace is it's Orangerie restaurant. You do not need a ticket to the Palace to go to the restaurant. This lovely building is just nice to sit in, even on a rainy day, with it's airy ceiling and large windows. The food was fantastic, especially the chicken pot pie, which is more a thick, rich soup with flaky chips of pastry on top. Prices weren't cafe cheap, but they were reasonable (no more than an inexpensive restaurant) and the food was superior. The Orangerie is also supposed to be known for it's tea selection. We are casual tea drinkers, but went with the waitresses recommendation, and it was the best tea we had in England.
14 November 2009
Absolutely Gorgeous Gardens, Unique Interior
The gardens of Kensington Palace, on the outskirts of Hyde Park, simply cannot be beat anywhere in London in my opinion. And the good news is that they are free to visit. Should you want to venture inside, Kensington Palace is different enough from both Buckingham and Windsor to be interesting as you wander through the state rooms. You can see recreations of the rooms that Queen Victoria used as a child and young woman.
During my visit there were two temporary exhibits. One was a collection of Princess Diana's clothing, which was interesting although the collection was small. Probably less than twenty dresses. The other was an exhibit on debutantes of the 1950s. That one was quite cheezy in my opinion (there was a room to learn how to set a table and tie a bowtie) but perhaps if one had children this sort of interactive thing would be ideal.
I thought the entrance fee worth the price because the interior was so different from the other palaces and castles I visited, but a quick (free) trip to the garden alone would also be very worthwhile. And as an added bonus, this palace is open on Sundays while many attractions in London are not, so if you find yourself looking for something to fill time on Sunday it is a great way to spend the afternoon.
13 September 2009
A Step Back In Time
A wonderful tour .The Diana dresses and Debutantes exhibition are superb!.You are transported back to the days when girls WERE girls!no LADETTES here!It is well laid out and gives a real feel to bygone days.The state rooms are also a joy to see as they are included in the admission.A really good day out for the whole family.
1 June 2009
Interesting and good ceilings!
We visited KP last weekend and we have very mixed feelings about this place. The staff were very strange! The bag searching woman was very loud and although cheery a bit OTT! We started off with the audio guide but went back to the first room to take part in the Queen Victoria tour. I felt a bit sorry for the tour guide as he seemed to be at times drowned out as it was really busy and the tour consisted of walking through many rooms which was a bit of a chore! Unfortunately, the space as a whole is very badly thought out as it's hard to go back to the start for the tour! Still, I quite like the different elements of the palace and the audio guide was good. And there are some fabulous ceilings! I am not sure how I would have felt if we had had to pay full price as we are members!
28 May 2009
If you have time...
If you have some time, drop by Kensington Palace. I wasn't overwhelmed by it the way I was with Buckingham, but that's to be expected considering this was originally intended to be a private getaway for the royal family and not a big showpiece palace. The interior is rather underwhelming, but the outside is beautiful, the gardens are amazing and the Diana dress/photo exhibit is an enjoyable sight.
6 April 2009
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Events at Kensington Palace
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British Sign Language Tours
Guided walk29 Oct 2009 to 10 Dec 2009
A BSL guide to interpret a specific guided tour of the palace.
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Diana, Fashion and Style
Exhibition1 Mar 2009 to 31 Dec 2009
A new exhibition at Kensington Palace that focuses on the development of the Princess Diana's style from the romantic ruffles of the early 1980s to the sophisticated silhouette of the mid-1990s. The dresses include an early evening dress by Donald Campbell from 1983 and a little black dress from 1995 by Gianni Versace. Many of the dresses on display were designed by her favourite couturier, Catherine Walker.
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Kensington Palace
Special event1 Mar 2009 to 28 Feb 2010
The Kensington Palace was built in the early 17th century and became the home of King William III and Queen Mary in 1689 when he decided to escape from the oppressive London air to the healthier environment of Kensington. Exhibits include the Royal Ceremonial Dress Collection, the Garden Floor, the Royal Apartments and Orangery.
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The Last Debutantes
ExhibitionRecurring event
This exhibition captures the spirit of a world in transition. As new ideas about class and privilege were raised through the mass media, the debutantes days were numbered. Against a mix of ceremony and pop culture, the exhibition illustrates the elegance, social change and teenage culture that set the scene in Britain during the summer of 1958: the year of the last debutantes.
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