Kensington Palace, Royal palace in Kensington Gardens, London, United Kingdom
Kensington Palace is a former manor house converted into a royal residence in west London. The red brick facade shows tall windows and early 18th-century features, while the building sits within lawns and paths of Kensington Gardens.
William III and Mary II bought Nottingham House, a two-storey Jacobean mansion built by Sir George Coppin in 1605, for £20,000 in 1689. Christopher Wren kept the structure and added a three-storey pavilion at each corner, reorienting the house to face west; Nicholas Hawksmoor designed the South Front. George I hired William Kent in 1722 to decorate the state rooms, and Queen Victoria was born and raised here before her accession.
Exhibitions in the State Apartments display royal clothing, portraits and personal belongings that show how the monarchy presented itself across different centuries. Visitors can see how court life evolved through the objects and rooms that remain open to the public.
The State Rooms are managed by Historic Royal Palaces, while the offices and private apartments of resident royals remain the Royal Household's responsibility and are closed to visitors. The palace stands within Kensington Gardens, so the gardens can be walked before or after a visit to the State Rooms.
Queen Victoria spent her childhood in the north wing, and her rooms remain furnished with toys and belongings from her youth. The wallpaper, curtains and personal mementos give a direct sense of her life before ascending the throne.
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