King William III. bought Nottingham House, as it was then called.
William suffered from asthma, and the gravel pits of Kensington were then considered very healthy, and combined the advantages of not being very far from central London
with the pure air of the country.
The house was enlarged in order to be suitable for a royal residence, but it was not altogether demolished, and there are parts of the original Nottingham House still
standing, probably the south side of the courtyard, where the brick is of a deeper shade than the rest.
King William's model for Kensington Palace was Versailles, and as he had commissioned Wren to transform the Tudor building of Hampton Court into a palace resembling
Versailles, so he directed him to repeat the experiment here.
The Palace was not finished when Queen Mary, William's wife, caught small-pox and died, leaving a husband who, though austere, had really loved her. He himself died at
Kensington Palace eight years later.
Queen Mary's sister, good-hearted Queen Anne, whose last surviving child had died two years before, took up her residence at the Palace, of which
she was always extremely fond.
The death of her husband in 1708 left her to a lonely reign, and she seems to have comforted herself with her garden, superintending the laying out of the grounds.
She had no taste, and everything she ordered was dull and formal; yet she could not spoil the natural beauty of the garden, and she still had Wren to direct her in
architectural matters.
Kensington Palace continued with its royal connections after then, although, no King or Queen lived there again, it was here that a young Victoria was
born and later told that her uncle had died and she was now Queen.
When Victoria was born, George III. was then on the throne; the daughter and only child of his eldest son, Princess Charlotte, had died a year previously.
Therefore the birth of a daughter to the Duke of Kent, the fourth son, at Kensington Palace on May 24, 1819, was an event of no small importance.
The room in which the Princess was born was one on the first floor, just below the King's Privy Chamber, and it is marked by a brass plate.
The Duke died less than a year after his daughter's birth, so there were no small brothers or sisters to share the Princess's childhood; but her stepsister, Princess Feodore,
her mother's child, was much attached to her, and was often to be seen walking or driving with her in the Gardens.
Queen Mary of the United Kingdom, also known as Mary of Teck, was the Queen Consort of George V and the Empress of India. She was the
present Queen's grandmother and was born at the palace.
In1981 apartments 8 and 9 were combined to create the London residence of the newly married Prince and Princess of Wales, Charles and Diana. It remained the official
residence of Diana, Princess of Wales after her marriage and until the day of her death.
Currently open to the public is Apartment 1A, which belonged to the late Princess Margaret. The tour explains the history of Apartment 1A, from the time of the Duke of
Sussex through to Princess Louise then to the most recent Princess Margaret and Lord Snowdon.
Kensington Palace is also home to the Royal Ceremonial Dress Collection which contains court dress worn by members of the Royal Family from the 18th century onwards.
The Collection features outfits worn by Diana, Princess of Wales, Queen Mary's wedding dress and outfits worn by the present Queen.
Kensington Palace - last home to Princess Dianna is open all year long. Built in 1605, it became a favourite royal home under King William and Queen
Mary in 1689. The impressive dress collection includes some of Princess Diana's dresses.
Admission fee charged. Nearest tube (London Underground Station): Queensway, Notting Hill Gate, High Street, Kensington.
