Kensington Palace is the official residence of English kings since the XVII century. Today, part of the palace is open to public visits.
It was built in the 17th century and belonged to themoment to the count of Nottingham. Later the palace was bought from the heirs of Count Wilhelm III, who needed a suburban residence near the capital - closer than the famous Hampton Court, but at the same time outside the city, which already had a lot of smoke and burnt, and the king suffered from asthma. From the palace to Hyde Park was laid a private road, quite wide, along it several carriages could go by. Part of the road is still in Hyde Park today. It's called Rotten Row.
For many years Kensington Palace wasthe favorite residence of the kings of England. Since the beginning of the XVIII century, the younger princes and other members of the royal family began to live here. At one time Kensington Palace, a photo of which can be seen in the official chronicle, was the residence of Princess Diana.
Kensington Palace in London keeps historythree centuries of the monarchy of Great Britain and its most prominent representatives - Princess Diana and Queen Victoria, who was born in this palace and spent the first twenty years of her life there. Today this is a permanent exhibition. On it you can get acquainted with the hobbies of the future ruler, see the toys with which she played in her childhood, and even consider her toilets.
One of the most famous sightsThe Kensington Palace is a royal staircase. It features unique paintings on the walls. On them you can see how the King George I was resting, surrounded by his court. Among the courtiers, the artist depicted himself in a brown turban and with a palette of colors. Curiously, the paintings depict the servants of the King of Turkey, the "wild boy", who was found in the forests of Germany, the Yeomen guards.
The royal staircase leads to pompous andluxury apartments of the king, or to the Grand Chambers, as they are more often called. Kensington Palace inside is a real museum, where priceless relics of the Crown of Great Britain are collected.
Kensington Palace in London stores one of thethe most important relics - the unique gilded armchair of the son of George II - Friedrich. It is stored in the reception room. There is a Chamber of Secrets, adorned with magnificent tapestries. Here is the Round Room. It is considered the most richly decorated in the palace. The culmination of the suite of palace halls is considered to be the Royal Lounge, which the courtiers visited when meeting with the king. According to legend, in this room-gallery Wilhelm III played with his native nephew in the soldiers. Here, he caught a severe cold, fell ill with pneumonia and prematurely died.
Every year thousands of tourists are eager to visit Kensington Palace. The queen's apartments are a popular attraction.
This is a private room, created in the XVII century for the wife of King William III - Mary II. The ruling couple went to live in the palace, to be away from the hustle and bustle of the capital.
Since those very old times, the chambers have not changed much, so visitors have a unique opportunity to see the interiors in which the royal couple received guests, rested, and amused themselves.
That part of the palace that belonged to the queen,begins with the ladder of the Queen. It is designed a little easier than the King's staircase. Descending down on it, the queen immediately got into her favorite gardens, made in the Dutch style. One floor above is a gallery created for the rest of Mary II.
Here it was surrounded by embroidered silk drapes, Turkish carpets, and magnificent eastern porcelain. The Queen loved reading and practicing needlework in this luxurious room.
In the gallery of the queen you can see a portraitPeter I. It is the work of the artist Gottfried Kneller. The Russian Tsar visited Kensington Palace (Great Britain). The great emperor admired the European progress.
Entering the next door, you will enter the royal wardrobe. His story is mostly associated with the name of the younger sister of Mary - Anna Stewart.
This royal room reflects the fascination of the crowned lady with oriental porcelain. Here is a unique collection of exhibits brought from China and Japan.
In our time the palace was the residence of one of thethe most beautiful pairs of the royal family - Prince Charles and Princess Diana. Here lived the magnificent Lady Dee after the divorce and until the tragic death. What is surprising: little princes went to the neighboring kindergarten. Apartments of the palace, which are considered personal, belong to the Royal Court, while the main halls are open to tourists and are served by a special agency that deals with all the royal palaces.
Even if you do not manage to go to Kensingtonpalace, a photo of which you can see in our article, take a walk in the park surrounding the palace. It adjoins the world famous Hyde Park and is one of the most beautiful royal parks. It is not as blooming as Regentpark, but it also has very nice corners.
The park has its own greenhouse, where you can get acquainted with the ritual of English tea drinking, here you can walk along the shady avenues and by the large pond. For its form it was called Round.
In this amazing park you can see a statuePeter Pena and the children's playground, which is guarded by a 900-year-old oak with the elves living on it. The grandiose construction of the park (of course, after the palace) is the memorial of Albert, Queen Victoria's husband. By her order, after the death of her husband was erected 54-meter statue, which strikes an expensive finish. The memorial was built about 10 years, it was spent more than 10 million pounds sterling in the current equivalent. Its opening took place in 1872.
Near the memorial is the famousRoyal Albert Hall. It hosts all the important cultural events of the British capital, secular concerts. In the Albert Hall you can enter and with an excursion group. This will cost you 12 pounds.
You can see Kensington Palace in 15pounds (children under the age of 16 can enter for free). This magnificent palace and Albert Hall are one of the most visited sights of the British capital.
After being added to the royal family (the birth of Prince George), Kate Middleton and Prince William decided to move to a 20-room apartment in Kensington Palace.
But suddenly the young family ran intoproblem - serious repair in the building was not from the 60s of the last century. The famous family before the move conceived to bring this luxurious, but dilapidated housing into the proper kind.
Building firms got for work one and a halfa million pounds. Part of the huge sum was taken from the state treasury. For the interior decoration and furnishing the royal family was spending its own money. I must say that the amount turned out to be considerable. It could have become even more if Elizabeth generously did not give Katherine and William the right to choose any furniture and paintings from the royal collection. But the young mistress did not want to turn her future apartment into a museum - Kensington Palace. Kate Middleton decided to make a certain variety in the interior. She supplemented the old furniture with deliberately modern objects.
According to many, this mix looks prettyrisky, but this effect was achieved by the Duchess of Cambridge. Curious fact: Kate firmly decided not to hire a professional designer, so the interior of the new housing is the fruit of her imagination. As a result, in the living room of the Kensington Palace, unique antique armchairs and tables coexist with bright cushions made of artificial leather, which were purchased in a nearby supermarket. Naturally, as soon as it became known which thing the duchess (for example, a decorative pillow for 10 pounds) paid attention to, the sales level of this product soared to the skies.
