About
Kensington Palace has been a residence of the British Royal Family since 1689 and remains a working royal palace today, currently home to the Prince and Princess of Wales. Set in the beautiful Kensington Gardens, this intimate palace tells the stories of the queens and kings who shaped British history.
William III and Mary II transformed the modest Jacobean mansion into a royal palace, and it has been home to monarchs and royals ever since.
Queen Victoria was born here in 1819 and lived at Kensington until she became queen, and her rooms preserve her childhood story. In the 1980s and 1990s, Princess Diana made Kensington Palace famous worldwide as her London home, and the palace now houses fashion exhibitions celebrating her iconic style.
Visit the magnificent King's State Apartments with their spectacular painted ceilings by William Kent, walk through Queen Victoria's childhood rooms, explore the Queen's State Apartments where Queen Mary II held court, and discover the fascinating exhibition 'Victoria: A Royal Childhood'.
The permanent exhibition 'Crown to Couture' showcases spectacular royal and couture fashion across three centuries. Outside, the beautiful Sunken Garden became a memorial site when Diana died in 1997 and remains a place of pilgrimage. Unlike the Tower of London or Hampton Court, Kensington Palace offers an intimate, personal experience - this is royal history at a human scale, focused on the private lives and personal stories behind the crown.
The palace's unique atmosphere comes from being both a historic monument and a living royal residence.
Categories:
Annual Visitors (2019)
350,000
Plan Your Visit
⏱️ Recommended Visit Duration
📅 Best Times to Visit
Quietest: Wednesday, Thursday
Busiest: Saturday, Sunday
💡 Weekday mornings. Summer extends hours but brings crowds. Gardens beautiful spring/summer.
💡 Visitor Tips
- Walk through Kensington Gardens to the palace - it's a beautiful approach and free
- The Sunken Garden and Diana statue are free to visit - no palace ticket needed
- Allow 2.5-3 hours to see everything properly without rushing
- The King's State Apartments are the grandest - don't miss William Kent's painted ceilings
- Photography allowed without flash - unusual for a working royal palace
- The Orangery is perfect for afternoon tea in an authentic royal setting
- Visit on a weekday morning for fewer crowds, especially in Victoria's rooms
- Combine with the V&A, Natural History, and Science Museums nearby for a 'South Kensington museum day'
- Buy HRP membership if visiting multiple palaces (Tower, Hampton Court, Kew)
- The palace is still a working royal residence - occasional closures for royal events
Highlights
The King's State Apartments
The grandest rooms in Kensington Palace, created for King George I in the 1720s by architect William Kent. The King's Staircase features dramatic trompe l'oeil murals depicting the Georgian court, with courtiers seeming to lean over balconies above you. The Presence Chamber, Privy Chamber, and King's Drawing Room showcase Kent's spectacular painted ceilings and opulent furnishings.
The Cupola Room, with its elaborate ceiling painting and giant clock, was where Queen Victoria was baptized. These state apartments demonstrate Georgian taste at its most confident - rich colors, gilded details, and theatrical architecture designed to awe visitors and assert royal power.
Victoria: A Royal Childhood
The rooms where Princess Victoria spent her childhood, brought to life through immersive storytelling. Victoria was born at Kensington Palace in 1819 and lived here until she became queen at 18. The exhibition recreates her childhood bedroom, nursery, and the room where she received the news of her accession at dawn on June 20, 1837.
Interactive elements include Victoria's dolls (she had over 130), her childhood drawings and diaries, and the 'Kensington System' - the strict rules her mother imposed. The story reveals a lonely, controlled childhood that shaped the woman who would rule for 63 years. Standing in the room where the 18-year-old was woken to be told she was queen is genuinely moving.
Crown to Couture
A spectacular fashion exhibition exploring the relationship between historic royal dress and modern haute couture across three centuries. See actual coronation robes, state gowns worn by queens, and ceremonial dress alongside contemporary couture by designers like Alexander McQueen, Vivienne Westwood, and Dior.
The exhibition reveals how royal fashion set trends, how couturiers were inspired by royal style, and how fashion creates power and identity.
Mannequins in lavish historical dress face modern catwalk creations in a visual dialogue across time. The craftsmanship - embroidery, beading, construction - is breathtaking. This is fashion as art, power, and cultural history.
The Queen's State Apartments
Queen Mary II's rooms, more intimate than the King's Apartments but equally beautiful. Mary was a keen collector and these rooms displayed her porcelain collection (displayed on special brackets Kent designed). The Queen's Gallery features a spectacular ceiling painted by Kent and period furnishings.
These rooms show the queen's taste and interests - she was a patron of the arts with genuine personal style. The scale is more human than the King's Apartments, offering a glimpse of royal private life rather than public magnificence.
Collections
Kensington Palace holds the Royal Ceremonial Dress Collection - one of the finest fashion collections in the world with garments from the 18th century to today, including coronation robes, state gowns, and court dress. The palace preserves historic state apartments with period furnishings, paintings, and decorative arts from the Georgian, Victorian, and Edwardian periods.
Collections include: royal portraits by artists including Van Dyck and Kneller; furniture and decorative arts in situ in the state rooms; Queen Victoria's personal belongings including dolls, diaries, and childhood items; and contemporary fashion including Princess Diana's iconic dresses.
The palace's strength is its in situ presentation - rooms preserved as they were used by royals, creating an intimate connection to royal lives.
The King's State Apartments
Georgian magnificence - William Kent's painted rooms created for George I
📍 Ground Floor
The Queen's State Apartments
Mary II's elegant rooms showcasing her taste and collections
📍 First Floor
Victoria: A Royal Childhood
Immersive exhibition in the rooms where Queen Victoria grew up
📍 Ground Floor
Crown to Couture
Royal and haute couture fashion across three centuries
📍 State Apartments
Themes
Time Periods
Current Exhibitions
No current exhibitions. Please check the museum website for updates.
