Kensington Palace

Kensington Palace stands on the western edge of Hyde Park as one of London's most storied royal residences, serving as a working palace and public museum in equal measure. The building became a royal home in 1689 when William III commissioned Sir Christopher Wren to remodel the existing Jacobean house, and it has shaped British royal history ever since. George I and George II held court here, and Queen Victoria was born within its walls in 1819. Today the palace is managed by Historic Royal Palaces and opens its State Rooms, the King's Gallery, and the Queen's State Apartments to visitors, offering a direct encounter with centuries of royal domestic life.

The current entry ticket grants access to the palace's permanent collections and its curated interiors, where original furnishings, royal portraits, and ceremonial objects illuminate the lives of the monarchs and consorts who lived here. The surrounding Kensington Gardens add a further layer of context, placing the palace within a landscape that has been part of the royal estate for more than three centuries.