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The palace where Victoria was born and woke up Queen, half a working royal home and half open to the public, on the edge of Kensington Gardens.
Also in Royal London.
Kensington Palace began as a Jacobean house that William III bought in 1689 because his asthma could not bear the river fogs at Whitehall, and Christopher Wren turned it into a palace within a year. Queen Anne died here in 1714, and George I had William Kent paint the King's Staircase with a crowd of courtiers and the Cupola Room in Roman gold. It was in a bedroom here that Princess Victoria was born in 1819, and here, on 20 June 1837, that she was woken at five in the morning to be told she was Queen; she left for Buckingham Palace within weeks and never lived here again. Diana, Princess of Wales, lived here from 1981 until her death, and the Prince and Princess of Wales live here now, which is why only part of it opens. Historic Royal Palaces shows the King's and Queen's State Apartments, Victoria's childhood rooms and changing exhibitions of royal dress. The Sunken Garden outside, with the statue of Diana unveiled in 2021, is free.
Step-free access
| Monday | 09:00 – 16:00 |
|---|---|
| Tuesday | 09:00 – 16:00 |
| Wednesday | 09:00 – 16:00 |
| Thursday | 09:00 – 16:00 |
| Friday | 09:00 – 16:00 |
| Saturday | 09:00 – 16:00 |
| Sunday | 09:00 – 16:00 |
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Data is compiled from public sources including OpenStreetMap, under the ODbL. Hours change often, so check before making a journey.