Today Kensington Palace is synonymous with young royals; it is the
official home of TRH The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and their
family, and of TRH The Duke and Duchess of Sussex. It is also
famous for being the residence of Diana, Princess of Wales, during
the last years of her life, and visitors still flock to the palace
to learn about her story. But the history of Kensington stretches
back much further. It boasts more than three centuries of
continuous royal occupation, making it unique among the Historic
Royal Palaces. Formerly a private house enlarged by Christopher
Wren in the late 17th century to suit the needs of William and
Mary, Kensington Palace was the favoured home of five sovereigns
until the death of George II in 1760. William and Mary were
attracted by its location in what was then a small village to the
west of London, with easy access to the capital but with much
cleaner air. This remained its greatest advantage for the following
two centuries, before it was overtaken by London's rapid expansion.
Nonetheless, surrounded by its gardens, the palace still offers the
same privacy and tranquillity that so appealed to its original
royal owners. Even after its conversion into a royal residence, the
palace remained a rather unprepossessing building, fashioned out of
reddish-grey brick. However, this belied its architectural
significance, for it was shaped and decorated by some of the
country's leading architects, artists, craftsmen and designers, and
is now a major national monument. The palace's social and political
significance is arguably even greater. Kensington has played host
to some of the most important personalities and events in the long
history of the royal family. It was the birthplace and childhood
home of Queen Victoria, and it was here that she held her first
council meeting as monarch in 1837. During the previous century,
Kensington had been divided into apartments for the younger
generation of royals - an arrangement that continues today. From
the late 19th century onwards, it became a visitor attraction, a
museum and home to the Royal Ceremonial Dress Collection. Today the
palace attracts more than 400,000 visitors a year. In this new
illustrated account, Tracy Borman tells the fascinating story of
Kensington from private residence to modern-day royal palace,
describing not only the development of the building and its
magnificent gardens, but also the dramas and intrigues of court
life. Its history is set against a backdrop of events that shaped
both Britain and its monarchy: from the Jacobite uprisings of the
mid-18th century to the rise of industrialization in the 19th, and
the turbulence of world war in the 20th. Here, in the domestic
surrounds of the palace, the monarchy evolved and modernized in
tandem with the times. The story of Kensington Palace is, in short,
the story of the modern monarchy.
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