Kensington Palace was the favoured residence of successive sovereigns until the year 1760 and was also the childhood home of Queen Victoria. Today the palace accommodates the private residence and offices of several members of the Royal Family including the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester. Housed inside its walls are several exhibits that depict the life of the royal family.

Two rooms are on offer in the palace, the first being that of Mary of Modena. The room and more importantly its bed has had a long history that revolves around the dethroning of James II. The bed is also known as the warming pan bed because it was here that Mary of Modena gave birth to James II’s heir. However his enemies claimed that the child had actually died during the delivery and that the actual child presented was an imposter. This was one of the reasons used to dethrone the King.

The second is the childhood room of Queen Victoria. It was in this room that the princess lived in before one night she was awoken and told the news that she had become the Queen of England.
Visitors to both of these rooms can discover the rich interiors and glamorous life styles of the royal family.

There are also three fashion exhibits in the palace. One is dedicated to Princess Diana and features the many fashionable clothing items that she once donned. The Royal Ceremonial Dress Collection houses several of the finest attire that was adorned by the King’s and Queens all the way from the 18th century to present day. The last fashion related exhibit is Court Mantua. This exhibit showcases the elegant dresses that were worn by all the ladies of the Georgian Court. Beautiful and elegant, these dresses were however extremely impractical and cumbersome to the wearer but were a big part of life for women in the royal court at the time.

Two sites that are related to the king are also housed in Kensington Palace. The King’s Staircase is the entrance that was used by the King to enter the State Apartments and houses an excellent depiction painted by artist William Kent. This artwork encompasses both the floor and the ceiling of the structure and presents an interesting depiction of the court of King James I and its occupants.

The second exhibit is the King’s gallery which is the largest and longest apartment in Kensington Palace. Its appearance today is mostly unchanged from when James I was actually the occupant. During this period the apartment was used to display the royal collection of artwork and was also used for exercise purposes. The artwork is still present there for visitors to browse as is the dial positioned over the fireplace and connected to a wind wane which allowed the king to see which direction the wind was blowing. Surprisingly this device still works today.
 
Visit this attraction and get an insightful glimpse in to the life of the royal family both in the present and in the past. Staying in a London hotel near Kensington Palace such as the Millennium Hotel London Knightsbridge offers guests the chance to easily access this destination and several others in the area as well as Buckingham Palace.