Kensington Palace
A working royal palace with 300 years of history open to the public.
Kensington Palace is a royal residence on the western edge of Hyde Park that has been home to British monarchs and their families since William III moved in during the 1690s. It's where Queen Victoria was born and where she learned she would become queen, and it's where Princess Diana lived until her death in 1997. Today it's the official London residence of the Prince and Princess of Wales and several other working royals — and parts of it are open to the public as a Historic Royal Palaces attraction, giving you genuine access to rooms that have shaped British history.
Inside, you move through a sequence of restored State Apartments — the King's State Apartments and the Queen's State Apartments — decorated with original furnishings, royal portraits, and painted ceilings by William Kent. There are usually one or two major temporary exhibitions running alongside the permanent displays, often focused on royal fashion or specific figures like Victoria or Diana. The Diana memorial exhibition has been a recurring draw, featuring personal photographs and items from her life at the palace. The sunken Sunken Garden just outside, always immaculately kept, is particularly associated with her. Outside, a gilded statue of Victoria watches over the formal gardens.
Book tickets in advance online — the palace is popular enough that turning up without a reservation risks a wait or disappointment, especially in summer. The gardens themselves (Kensington Gardens, part of the Royal Parks) are free to enter at any time, so even if you're not going inside, the walk around the Orangery and formal grounds is worthwhile. The Orangery restaurant, just north of the palace, is a handsome early 18th-century building and a decent spot for lunch or afternoon tea without needing palace admission.
